Disney and Rob Marshall (
Mary Poppins Returns) are hard at work on pre-production for their live-action remake of
The Little Mermaid. Proper production will reportedly kick off in the Caribbean in January.
Thus far, the cast includes Halle Bailey as Ariel, Awkwafina as Scuttle, and Jacob Tremblay as Flounder. Additionally, Melissa McCarthy and Daveed Diggs are reportedly in talks for the roles of Ursula and Sebastian respectively.
Alan Menken is a renowned songwriter who worked on the original
The Little Mermaid film — as well as many other Disney classics. He will be returning to work on the remake alongside Lin-Manuel Miranda — who is best known for starring in
Mary Poppins Returns and creating the
Hamilton stage musical.
In a recent interview with
Broadway.com, Menken revealed that he and Miranda are currently writing new songs for the live-action remake. Specifically, the new songs that they're writing will be performed by the characters of Ariel, Scuttle, and Prince Eric — that is to say Halle Bailey, Awkwafina, and whoever ends up in the latter role respectively.
"We’re like four or five new songs in. We’re really having a good time writing it together. We’re writing a new song for Eric. We’re writing a new song for Ariel. We’re writing a new song for Scuttle," Menken revealed.
There's no need to fret if you're thinking that the classic songs of the original film won't make the cut. There will simply be the old and iconic songs as well as a few new ones — similar to how Disney's live-action remake of Aladdin handled it. Additionally, Menken's statement doesn't mean that there will only be five new songs but rather that those are the ones that they're currently working on.