Once again, I feel like I’m letting everyone down personally because I don’t have strong feelings about a Disney movie. In fact, the only strong feelings I have about all of these Disney live-action remakes of beloved Disney animated films is: please stop doing them. I get it, these live-action movies are making tons of money and “kids love them” and “a new generation is embracing them” and all of that. But lord, it’s not like Disney is poor. They don’t have to remake everything.
Anyway, we’ve heard that The Little Mermaid live-action remake is happening. It’s still in pre-preproduction and Disney hasn’t even confirmed the casting for Ariel, although it’s rumored to be Zendaya. Could be. But Variety dropped a big casting rumor, which everyone is picking up: Melissa McCarthy as Ursula.
Some poor unfortunate soul will face off with Melissa McCarthy’s tentacles in the next big Disney adaptation. According to Variety, the Oscar-nominated Can You Ever Forgive Me? Star is taking her brand (slightly) family-friendly with the villainous role of Ursula in an as-yet undated adaptation of The Little Mermaid.
The deal is not yet complete, but would mark the first official casting for the remake, which follows such similar live-action adaptations as Beauty and the Beast and this year’s Aladdin and Lion King. The undersea favorite will be directed by Mary Poppins Returns helmer Rob Marshall, with Lin-Manuel Miranda joining original composer Alan Menken for an updated roster of songs from the 1989 hit.
The original sea-witch Ursula was famously voiced by Pat Carroll and modeled after the late drag queen icon Divine. The character also takes on a human appearance in the 1989 film (voiced by Jodi Benson), leaving it unclear if McCarthy would play both sides of the role. Casting speculation for the new adaptation has run rampant—most recently with rapper Lizzo clamoring for the part—while stars ranging from Lady Gaga to Bette Midler have been tossed forth.
Before now, I didn’t know that Divine was the inspo for Ursula but once you hear that, it makes perfect sense. And once you know that, it seems like some people really want Disney to go out of the box and actually cast a drag queen in the role, or perhaps a man who could potentially do a good drag Ursula, like Tituss Burgess or The Ginger Minj (from Drag Race). People also really, REALLY want Lizzo to be considered, which… I mean, Lizzo gives off Big Ursula Energy naturally, so that casting would be completely perfect. Lizzo thought so too (see tweets below). It’s not that people think Melissa McCarthy is a BAD choice. She’s not. It’s just that people think there are better options.
— |L I Z Z O| (@lizzo) June 28, 2019
I’M URSULA. PERIOD. @Disney pic.twitter.com/9YPVPPvVpz
— |L I Z Z O| (@lizzo) November 1, 2018
Photos courtesy of WENN.
I was indifferent with Melissa….until you suggest Tituss.
Now I want Tituss.
I always saw Ursula as black and as an adult a black drag queen. I understand that is all my personal perception, especially because I’m black and older so as a child I looked for “black” characters and probably made her black in my head. Doesn’t change that this feels like a blow to me.
Its not white washing because it is a manifestation of my personal perception of a movie, but it feels like white washing to me. Coming to terms that she wasnt intended to be a “black” character is the bigger blow to me than melissa McCarthy right now.
IF THEY PASS ON ZENDAYA FOR ARIEL I WILL LOSE MY DAMN CRACKERS!
Nah. I’m a white Australian chick and I want a drag queen and most likely a black drag queen. I think I saw her as Greek or something as a kid but definitely a big DIVA with strong features, a deep husky voice, sexuality dripping from her, and that sarcastic, subversive humour that is the standard for drag queens and stage divas. Melissa McCarthy is a weak sauce option. She doesn’t have the voice or the right carriage for this role. She’ll do OTT hammy comedy and that is allllll wrong for this! This needs major drag energy and a saucier, naughtier, wink wink take. Someone subversive. Someone who could bring Broadway energy. Melissa is a big NO from me!
Sorry I was hoping for Zendaya too but I heard that it didn’t work out and Halle (from Chloe x Halle) is now the front runner (which I don’t mind because she’s lovely, can SING, and will make a lovely Ariel. If ppl. have not heard of her – google “Cool People” – it’s a beautiful song.
Yes!!!! Please don’t hate on me because I don’t know Lizzo, but that video was weak (if fully committed). Tituss has that song NAILED. He would be amazing.
I like Melissa McCarthy, but I seriously don’t see this.
TITUS BURGESS IS AMAZING. His voice is perfect for Ursula’s song.
OMG. Titus would be next level! Kaiser, I’m mad that you even suggested it because now all I’ll be able to think about is how much we’re missing out.
McCarthy is fine, I guess. I like her well enough.
Honestly, Titus should be in everything.
I like Melissa in general, though had no feelings whatsoever about her as Ursula. I love the idea of Lizzo or Tituss. They would both be great. Pat Carroll and Divine as the voice and inspiration behind Ursula were my favourite parts about the original. Carroll was so great. She was also great as one of the step-sisters in Rogers and Hammerstein’s 1965 live-action Cinderella (that whole cast was amazing, too, though).
I really like Melissa McCarthy but Ginger Minj would make my heart sing!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vHPj3cH8VJU
OMG SO GOOD
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vEfO_dduYUs
Seems *fat* is the criteria for all the suggested casting choices.
I was hoping for Queen Latifah but every suggestion above is better than Melissa McCarthy. I do like her in general but she has been box office poison for years now
Queen Latifah should be in everything! Titus too.
Lizzo would have been amazing.
I always thought Disney wanted Bea Arthur to be Ursula, but she turned them down.
Titus should have been the genie in Aladdin. I saw the live musical and that’s what I thought the whole time.
Titus sings poor unfortunate souls and it’s amazing. He should be Ursula. I like Melissa but this casting doesn’t excite me.
Lizzo would be a GREAT Ursula. She’s got the personality for it.
This being said, I am absolutely baffled at certain segments of Twitter insisting that Ursula was coded as a black woman. She was VERY clearly and obvious meant as a homage to the famous drag queen, Divine, right down the makeup and flamboyant posturing. There’s no reason it can’t be recast as a black actor/actress now, but if there’s a real reason to be mad at Disney, be angry at them for erasing the LGBT+ component.
Yeah I saw that too and I was like… Ursula was meant to be black? I never saw her as that as a kid (she was purple tinged?). A white woman, Pat Carroll, voiced her in the cartoon version. I don’t mind a black actor/actress in the role but POC in my feed were insisting that even though Ursula was based on a white drag queen, elements of drag queen culture apparently are rooted in black culture…? Not sure I understood any of it as I’m not well versed in drag culture. But yeah those arguments surprised me as well!
I love Lizzo but tbh she doesn’t have the range. And Melissa I don’t know, never heard her sing. Titus would be amazing though.
Also I’m surprised no one’s name dropped a some Broadway star yet. Liza? Patti LuPone? Audra McDonald?
Lizaaaaaaaaa! Liza would be great! I’d prefer a drag queen but a broadway diva could do it for sure!
I don’t know… The Little mermaid is my only one favourite Disney princesses movie, I deeply love this one, while totally cold to others. Melissa can sing, it’s important for me after highly autotuned Emma Watson in Beauty and the Beast, but can she pull it off? I’d like to see someone more expressive as Ursula, and Drag Queen is about expression.
I had a conversation about it with my friend, she said that it would be bad for LGBT representation because Ursula possesses Eric, and it’s an old bad cliche how “LGBT possess straight people”, but you can cast drag queen and don’t make Ursula drag, or LGBT in general, in the end she’s not a human, she’s a sea creature and a witch, so whatever who plays her.
Can Titus play Ursula and Ellie Kemper play Ariel? Jon Hamm can be Prince Eric, ya know let’s just cast all of Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt and throw Tina Fey on as a producer.
I agree that the live action Disney movies have been a snooze so far, and a really cynical cash grab…BUT everything I hear about the live action Mulan makes it sound really promising! I gather they changed a lot of the story elements, so it won’t be a retread of the animated movie (and they also mixed their weird gross idea where mulan falls for a random white trader who they inserted in, yikes). If it’s a retelling of the myth, with an awesome Chinese cast, THATS the kind of thing I’m here for!!
Tituss or Minj. That is all.
I love Lizzo, but I want a drag Ursula.
No, McCarthy is a terrible choice. Terrible.
There are lot of cool suggestions here. I literally think that Melissa might be the least suitable name mentioned so far honestly, but she always goes all out in any role so if she gets it I’m sure it’ll be wonderful. Ursula is the most important role in a live-action Little Mermaid. I like Queen Latifah for the role if they go for a woman. Lizzo is too young and cutsey for the role, though she has the pipes and figure; she’d come off more like Ursula’s not-that-evil little sister if she was cast. I wonder if Adele would do it? I don’t know if she can act, though.
I want to emphasize making Ursula a drag queen would be a shift from the cartoon, and one worth doing even with the controversy which may result from that. Ursula was based on Divine but the animated character was a woman (a hammy woman, but definitely a woman). Even as an adult knowing the character’s origins, I don’t see the animated character as a drag queen. An example of an actual drag queen in a children’s movie contemporary to the original Little Mermaid is King Gator from All Dogs Go to Heaven (iconic). It would be amazing and groundbreaking to actually have the live action Ursula part be clearly a drag role.
Overall, I love how with Disney’s casting practices, the real question is whether Ursula will be played by a man in drag or a woman, and the fact that casting is colorblind is just a matter of course.
I think Lizzo has a lot of vocal work to do for the role but I can see her fitting better than McCarthy. But Lizzo is too young and her SM audition was cringeworthy. I seriously would prefer for it not to be a drag queen. I always visualized Ursula as an overweight past her prime jazz singer. I liked the deeper implication that this witch wanted what Ariel had and was jealous of her beauty, youth, and craft. I just feel that a drag queen would twist this aspect.
Also, I hate all of the remakes. So unnecessary
I think that in this day an age casting a drag queen icon in that role is opening yourself for too much criticism and social concerns, and Disney is not really inclined to risk taking, so casting Melissa seems like the perfect choice for them.
I love the little mermaid, and am super excited for Melissa being cast!