They’re really going all in with casting The Little Mermaid aren’t they?
After rapid fire announcements confirming that Halle Bailey, Harry Styles, Jacob Tremblay, Awkwafina and Melissa McCarthy will be playing (or are in talks to play) Ariel, Prince Eric, Flounder, Scuttle and Ursula respectively, we now have word that King Triton will be played by an actual Bond villain.
According to a scoop by TheDInsider (later confirmed by Variety), Javier Bardem is in talks to play the trident-wielding ruler of Atlantica who is struggling to keep his daughter from contacting the human world.
While Disney didn’t cast Idris Elba as Triton as I hoped, Bardem is more than a worthy casting choice because he’s a ridiculously talented chap who can definitely do the stern and intimidating schtick without breaking a sweat.
So here’s where we’re at with The Little Mermaid so far: a curious R&B singer/mermaid feels trapped by her Bond villain father’s strict rules about contacting the human world but she ends up breaking defying him after falling for a One Direction member.
This version of The Little Mermaid doesn’t sound like it will be the warm and fuzzy fairytale everyone expected and I’m totally here for it.