Kathryn Bigelow is the perfect person to handle an inordinately tense, gripping and powerful near-real time military thriller. Less a war film more a story of the buildup to potential conflict, it marks her successful return to moviemaking following the less-than-enthusiastic reaction to 2017’s ‘Detroit’.
And this is a talent who deserved better than to sit on the sidelines for years.
Script and Direction
Kathryn Bigelow attends the Netflix film ‘A House of Dynamite’ NYFF Main Slate Premiere and Q&A on September 28, 2025 in New York City. Photo: Jason Mendez/Getty Images for Netflix.
Noah Oppenheim, an NBC news veteran, has been behind scripts including ‘Jackie’ and the recent Netflix series ‘Zero Day’, and pumps up the tension with a structure that resets the clock on the story across three acts, telling the same story of a missile headed to the US from an unknown aggressor from different viewpoints up and down the command chain from isolated military bases to the hubs of the White House and the Pentagon.
While the switch in focus means some characters are better served than others, and some of the more movie-ish peeks into personal lives dip precariously close to cheese, it still works.
Bigelow keeps the camera moving and the tension levels high for this one, aided by Volker Bertelmann‘s doomy, evolving score. It’s the director’s best in years and deserves to be seen.
With such a big cast to service, it’s impressive how many big names Bigelow has recruited here. Standouts include Rebecca Ferguson’s steely, but human operations officer at the White House, Jason Clarke as her boss, Gabriel Basso as a nervy National Security Advisor thrust into a new level of responsibility and Jared Leto as Secretary of Defense Baker, at once outraged by the lack of efficiency in his country’s response to the weapon headed its way a terrified for his estranged daughter (an underused Kaitlyn Dever).
If there’s a weak link here, it’s Idris Elba, who never really convinces as the President.
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Zoey Deutch stars in ‘The Threesome’.
Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with Zoey Deutch, Jonah Hauer-King and Ruby Cruz about their work on ‘The Threesome’, Deutch’s first reaction to the screenplay and why she wanted to work with director Chad Hartigan, Hauer-King’s take on his character’s unusual situation, and what Cruz learned about threesomes from her research.
You can read our full interview below or click on the video player above to watch our interviews with Deutch, Hauer-King and Cruz, as well as Jaboukie Young-White and director Chad Hartigan.
(L to R) Jonah Hauer-King, Zoey Deutch, and Ruby Cruz in ‘The Threesome’. Photo: Vertical.
Moviefone: To begin with, Zoey, can you talk about your first reaction to the screenplay and what were some of the aspects of your character that you were excited to explore on screen?
Zoey Deutch: First impression was that it was a very strong script with a very strong director behind it, and I thought that he was an interesting and different choice to be the captain of that ship. I was really excited about that pairing, and I had been wanting to work with Chad the director for a long time. So, immediately after reading it, I reached out to him and asked him if he would be interested in meeting with me. I have this thing when I’m reading scripts that it’s like my body knows before my mind. There’s a lot going on here and my body, it doesn’t lie. Whenever I’m reading and I start to just speak out loud the lines, that’s always an indicator for me that I need to do this and I really want to do this, and that’s what happened. The second I started reading it, the words were just like flowing out of me as I was reading it. I loved the cadence and heard the way that she spoke, the dialogue, the relationships, and how nuanced it was.
Jonah Hauer-King stars in ‘The Threesome’.
MF: Jonah, can you talk about the unusual situation Connor finds himself in and how he navigates through that?
Jonah Hauer-King; I think it’s something that he’s not expecting. I think ultimately, he finds himself in a position where he must grow up very quickly and take responsibility for his actions. However intentional or not, he needs to take responsibility and try and be a good person and do the right thing in that quite complex delicate situation. He gets it wrong on several occasions, but he tries to right the ship and I think a lot of the story for him is about learning from those mistakes and trying to be a better person to both Olivia and Jenny. So, I really like that about him. He doesn’t feel sorry for himself too much at the time and any time there is a little bit of self-pity, he kind of drags himself out of it and realizes that there’s more important things that play and this isn’t about him. It’s very much about two other women and potentially bring new life into the world as well. So, I think he bit by bit starts to become a bigger man.
Ruby Cruz stars in ‘The Threesome’.
MF: Ruby, it seems like Jenny is caught in the middle of Olivia and Connor’s relationship. Can you talk about that and your approach to playing the character?
Ruby Cruz: I think when I was doing my research on threesomes, I learned about the term called “The Second Fiddle”. The Second Fiddle is the person in a threesome who doesn’t get as much attention, and that’s what Jenny is. Jenny is the third in this story. I think it was just relating to how she feels like the third in her life as well. She feels like they’re characters in her own life. After the first read of the script, I realized that, and I thought that was a very interesting way to feel. I was excited to dive into that.
‘The Threesome’ director Chad Hartigan.
MF: Zoey, you mentioned that you had wanted to work with director Chad Hartigan for a long time. Now that you have, what was that experience like for you?
ZD: So disappointing. I’m kidding. He was the best. I love him, I think he is such a wonderful human being, and one of my favorite things about him is how much he truly appreciates every single person involved and walks the walk and talks to talk about collaboration. There is no hierarchy with him. He wants everyone to feel invested, involved, and like their opinion matters. I saw that from the second I started working with him all the way to now, and I loved working with him. He’s just a wonderful filmmaker and a film lover. So totally, very grateful that I got that opportunity.
(L to R) Zoey Deutch, Ruby Cruz and Jonah Hauer-King, in ‘The Threesome’. Photo: Vertical.
MF: Finally, Jonah, what was your experience like working with director Chad Hartigan and did he give you room to improvise on set?
JHK: Yes, and I think that was partly down to the fact that when you have characters that are as well drawn as these ones, it is very subtle and it’s quite nuanced to how the story develops, how that all relates to one another, and the energy of a particular scene can be made very different with different types of performance. It was always about calibrating in this moment, like how emotional is Connor being or how difficult is he being? That was true for all the characters. Then that was a fun job for Chad in the edit to work out the emotional beats of the story and he had more to work with. Because it wasn’t like this is the exact point that the character is going through, or these are the exact beats that we’re going to hit through the story. He had more wiggle room to play around with it. That came very naturally to both Zoey and Ruby. I think that’s probably what they would do on any film anyway, they would provide different takes and different things. So, I think that came very naturally to them, and then I just had to keep up.
(L to R) Ruby Cruz, Zoey Deutch, and Jonah Hauer-King in ‘The Threesome’. Photo: Vertical.
What is the plot of ‘The Threesome’?
Connor (Jonah Hauer-King) wants to start a real relationship with Olivia (Zoey Deutch). While out on a date, the two meet Jenny (Ruby Cruz), one thing leads to another, and they have a threesome. In a strange twist of fate, both Jenny and Olivia end up pregnant.
Freddie Prinze Jr. stars in 2025’s ‘I Know What You Did Last Summer.’
Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with Freddie Prinze Jr. about his work on 2025’s ‘I Know What You Did Last Summer’, returning to the franchise he helped create, and working with the new and returning cast.
You can read the full interview below or click on the video player above to watch our interviews with Prinze, director Jennifer Kaytin Robinson, Madelyn Cline, Chase Sui Wonders, Sarah Pidgeon, Jonah Hauer-King and Tyriq Withers.
Freddie Prinze Jr. as Ray Bronson in 2025’s ‘I Know What You Did Last Summer’. Photo: Sony Pictures.
Moviefone: To begin with, what was it like for you to return to this character and this franchise all these years after making the original?
Freddie Prinze Jr.: It was exciting. Once Jen (Robinson) pitched me where the character was at, what he had gone through, and her interpretation of how he processed the trauma that happened to both him and Julie (Jennifer Love Hewitt), I got excited before they even wrote the script. So, I kind of knew that this was going to happen, and it was all going to work out early in the process. We take big swings, but they’re swings that I got so excited for, and I literally committed everything I have into that performance and tried to play it as vulnerable and as honest as I know how at 49 years old. That’s why I came back. Just the care that they put into the character was tremendous on both Julie and Ray’s side of the boat, so to speak.
(L to R) Chase Sui Wonders as Ava Brucks, Madelyn Cline as Danica Richards, Sarah Pidgeon as Stevie Ward, and Freddie Prinze Jr. as Ray Bronson in 2025’s ‘I Know What You Did Last Summer.’ Photo: Sony Pictures.
MF: Finally, what was it like working with the new cast members and did you give them any advice about joining the franchise?
FPJ: Advice is like peanut butter. It tastes good to me, but it might kill you. So, I don’t offer advice up unless people are asking. Chase is really interested in the history of this business, and that’s something that I’ve had a fascination with since I was a little boy. So, we talked a lot about the history of the business and who made this movie and why we think they made it and why it was great, and who the greatest executive of all time was from back in the day, things like that. But it wasn’t ever advice. It was just sharing the history of this business. But I love working with young people. It’s inspiring to see that group. You got to remember, when I was coming up, there weren’t that many movies or TV shows getting made because there weren’t that many channels out there. There weren’t that many distributors out there. So, it was highly competitive. The camaraderie, at least in my experience, was not there very often. It was much more competitive. This group leaned on each other so much and cared for one another so much. I just wanted to be a part of that circle, even though I’m 20-30 years older than all of them. I just wanted to be a part of that and feel that, and they were so embracing and so engaging with me. I love the cast. I love hanging out with them. I love talking to them off set, on set, whatever. But they’re fantastic. Jen casts better than anyone I’ve ever seen. If you watch ‘Do Revenge,’ I’m not saying you discovered Maya Hawke, but the casting was perfect. Everyone sort of fit into place. The same thing on this movie. Everyone just sort of fit perfectly. If she believes in you, she will fight for you and she will fight for your ideas. So, to work with them and to see that cast function at that high a level was inspiring to me every day.
Editorial Note: Tessa Smith conducted this interview and contributed to this article.
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What is the plot of ‘I Know What You Did Last Summer’?
When five friends (Madelyn Cline, Jonah Hauer-King, Tyriq Withers, Sarah Pidgeon and Chase Sui Wonders) inadvertently cause a deadly car accident, they cover up their involvement and make a pact to keep it a secret rather than face the consequences. A year later, their past comes back to haunt them and they’re forced to confront a horrifying truth: someone knows what they did last summer…and is hell-bent on revenge. As one by one the friends are stalked by a killer, they discover this has happened before, and they turn to two survivors (Freddie Prinze Jr. and Jennifer Love Hewitt) of the legendary Southport Massacre of 1997 for help.
Who is in the cast of ‘I Know What You Did Last Summer’?
Freddie Prinze Jr. as Ray Bronson
Jennifer Love Hewitt as Julie James
Madelyn Cline as Danica Richards
Jonah Hauer-King as Milo Griffin
Tyriq Withers as Teddy Spencer
Sarah Pidgeon as Stevie Ward
Chase Sui Wonders as Ava Brucks
Jennifer Love Hewitt as Julie James in 2025’s ‘I Know What You Did Last Summer’. Photo: Sony Pictures.
List of Movies and TV Shows in the ‘I Know What You Did Last Summer’ Franchise:
The new film –– currently called just ‘I Know What You Did Last Summer’ (in that confusing ‘Scream’ style) is coming together at Sony.
And the creative team had been in talks with more than one member of the original cast to show up, with Prinze Jr.’s co-star Jennifer Love Hewitt also discussing a deal to return.
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What’s the story of ‘I Know What You Did Last Summer’?
(L to R) Freddie Prinze Jr., Jennifer Love Hewitt, Sarah Michelle Gellar and Ryan Phillippe in ‘I Know What You Did Last Summer’. Photo: Columbia Pictures.
The original movie starred Prinze Jr., Hewitt, Sarah Michelle Gellar and Ryan Phillippe as four teens from a small seaside town who are stalked by a hook-wielding killer one year after covering up a car accident that was believed to be fatal.
That film became a box office success with $125 million globally. It was followed by the 1998 sequel ‘I Still Know What You Did Last Summer’ with Hewitt and Prinze Jr. as well as the straight-to-video reboot ‘I’ll Always Know What You Did Last Summer.’
Prime Video attempted a TV version in 2021, which ran for one season.
What is happening with the new ‘I Know What You Did Last Summer’?
(L to R) Sarah Michelle Gellar, Jennifer Love Hewitt and Ryan Phillippe in ‘I Know What You Did Last Summer’. Photo: Columbia Pictures.
While the plotline is unknown, we could see the new characters tackling the further fallout from the original crime, with Prinze Jr. returning to help (or hinder).
Jennifer Kaytin Robinson, who previously directed the likes of ‘Do Revenge’ and ‘Someone Great’, is handling the new film, having written the latest draft of the script alongside Sam Lansky.
“It was a struggle to finish work every day. I was in pain every single day on that movie. However, it prepared me for this business in a way. I’m forever grateful to Jim for being such an asshole because I’ve never met one like that since… No other director I’ve met felt crossing those lines would be OK. I’ve been prepared for every lesser A-hole in the business.”
Ariel (Halle Bailey), the youngest daughter of the kingdom Atlantica’s ruler King Triton (Javier Bardem), is fascinated with the human world but mermaids are forbidden to explore it. After saving Prince Eric (Jonah Hauer-King) from a shipwreck and falling in love with him, she becomes determined to be with him in the world above water. These actions lead to a confrontation with her father and an encounter with the conniving sea witch Ursula (Melissa McCarthy), making a deal with her to trade her beautiful voice for human legs so she can discover the world above water and impress Eric. However, this ultimately places her life (and her father’s crown) in jeopardy.
Costume designer Colleen Atwood at “The Little Mermaid Enchanted Celebration” on September 15th. Photo credit: Dan Steinberg for Walt Disney Studios.
Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with four-time Oscar-winning costume designer Colleen Atwood (‘Chicago,’ ‘Alice in Wonderland‘) about her work on ‘The Little Mermaid,’ her process, her longstanding working relationship with director Rob Marshall, designing the look of the mermaids, working closely with the VFX department, taking cultural inspirations for the costumes, and revisiting the animated classic, as well as a tease of the costumes she created for Tim Burton’s upcoming sequel, ‘Beetlejuice 2.’
Costume designer Colleen Atwood at “The Little Mermaid Enchanted Celebration” on September 15th. Photo credit: Dan Steinberg for Walt Disney Studios.
You can read the full interview below or click on the video player above to watch our interview.
Moviefone: To begin with, can you take us behind the scenes and explain your process as a costume designer? When you come on to a project and read the script for the first time, where do you go from there?
Colleen Atwood: Well, I read the script and I talk to the director, in this case, Rob, and we talk about what he’s seeing for the movie. In this case, because the people that were building the environment, the art department had started quite a bit before me because of the time it takes to do all that. So I met with him in LA, and we met where the art department was beginning to build the world. So we met there, and he walked me through that. Then we talked about colors and ideas, and I told him I liked the ideas of Seven Sisters from the Seventh Seas, each one having a different fish for their character. As well as all my ideas of what I was thinking with King Triton, and we just kind of walk through it. But not the entire cast at that point in history is always in place at the beginning. But we knew it was Halle Bailey, and Rob knew who he wanted for the other parts, but they weren’t in place yet. So I started with her. I started figuring out the different worlds along with the costumes, not just for the main characters, but how the costumes at the castle looked, what the reflection of the costumes in the village is, so I had an overview of the whole movie. Then as I got characters, I could dial them into it, which is a good way to work, because you know where you’re going with it, in a less kind of random matter. Rob comes from theater, so that process of preparation is something he really understands, which is so advantageous to costume.
MF: You’ve worked with director Rob Marshall before, did that make the process of working on ‘The Little Mermaid’ a little easier because you have a shorthand with him and understand his tastes and what he might want?
CA: Yeah, there’s a lot of trust there between us. It’s fun always when you work with somebody to self-challenge, because you kind of know what they’re going to be like, and then you try to find something that you haven’t kind of plugged into before that could work too. So it’s kind of a parallel blessing, but it really is a good way to push yourself to another level as a designer, because you can get comfortable, but you want to be better. So that was kind of my challenge with him.
MF: Can you talk about the look of the mermaids and designing their costumes?
CA: Well, the actual costumes themselves, as far as the undersea costumes, were virtual. So I sat with a computer artist and designed them. I did tails that were the right scale so they had reference, and I made fabrics that looked like fish scales to get the colors and the textures right. But I really sat with one guy, and he and I did it together because I don’t have the skills to do digital design. But it was a whole other world for me. Then as we got real people into the facsimiles of the costumes, because we did bits, we realized things that were challenges, like we didn’t really want to do seashell bras on real people, because it always looks kind of hanky. So we ended up figuring it out, but making the transition between skin and scale was a big deal because it can look not beautiful, so you didn’t want them to be that, you want them to be beautiful. So we came up with the little fin things that kind of transition in between to separate it, and then kind of a glow on the skin that might be a scale, but you don’t really see scales all over the body. When you do digital design with a lot of dudes, they go in the creature direction real quick. So we got some really interesting first passes on stuff, but we really dialed all that down. I really wanted to keep also the idea of sisters in mind, but they were all within a younger, more youthful point of view in how they looked and what their body shapes were and all that.
MF: You’ve been a costume designer for almost 40 years and the industry has changed a lot over that time, particularly with technology and the way movies are made. Can you talk about how your approach to costuming has changed due to technology? Have you ever worked this closely with the VFX department on a project before?
CA: Well, I worked with VFX fairly closely on the ‘Alice in Wonderland’ movies because they were really early days, and we had a lot of challenges. In that case, I ended up making the real costumes because they were above ground, and then making them do different things to make the head look bigger and the body smaller and things like that. So that technology has evolved in a really different way. I did the ‘Fantastic Beast’ movies, which had a lot of that in it. So I’ve been paralleling the visual effects evolution since ‘Mars Attacks!’ It’s been a long time. So I’ve been parallel learning that as I go along, and learning the tricks to make it better for costume. That’s been a really fun challenge, and it’s pretty amazing, the stuff they’ve done to make fabrics look better, because it used to be really flat, and now it has more dimension. But I made actual fish scale fabric for them to reference so I could control how that would manifest itself digitally. There’s certain shadings and surface treatments and things like that that can make it look better. I think because I have done it before and seen it, that I’ve learned a lot, and it’s a learning curve. It really is.
CA: Can you talk about the cultural inspirations you used to create the costumes for the human world?
CA: Well, it was interesting in a very tricky area. I really took the reference of the time period of the castle. The time period of the castle was set in a sort of early 1800s vaguely, but no nail down date, so I sort of plugged in to 1830-1840 when people started coming to the Caribbean that weren’t from there, to settle and build so-called castles. But the big influence for me was the shapes that came from that period, but the materials came more from the land in which we were inhabiting, which wasn’t necessarily the case in real history at all. So I departed history very quickly, because I wanted the colors to be reflective of the ocean and the environment. So the castle, for me, was like dried coral and different corals with the faded colors and the textures of corals. So I kind of used the materials of the ocean to influence the costumes in their design. The men’s costumes there, I made all out of pale textured linen. In that period, they didn’t make clothes out of that stuff. So it was really fun to make the shapes of a period but in different materials, and create your own magical world in that way that people could kind of connect with. Then the village had a really festive, under the sea kind of coral flowing colors, and that kind of life in contrast to the elitist coral castle. So that kind of was how I pulled it together.
MF: Were you a fan of the original ‘The Little Mermaid,’ and did you use the animated movie as a reference for the costumes and look of the film?
CA: I was a fan, but not like my kids were fans. I was a little bit of an older person. I wouldn’t have a ‘Little Mermaid’ wedding. But Rob’s take on things, it’s always like a different journey with him. He totally changes everything up so well. But we did want to pay homage to the known entity of a character as beloved as ‘The Little Mermaid.’ So you don’t think, “Oh, I’m going to not do ‘The Little Mermaid.’ Why do that? It’s done.” Instead, we just embraced the colors, the energy of her, the red hair, the colors of the tail the lilac bought us and all that, but reinvented it in a way that was more human, more today and kind of youthful. In doing that with the reference of all the different fishes from the seas, I was kind of playing with the culture within the fish costumes, which was limited, you could only do a certain amount because of what they were, but you could definitely give a spontaneity in the placement of where the fins were, which could kind of relate to a samba skirt, or a kimono, or whatever that was. The Indian mermaid had a one shouldered one, and the Thai mermaid had a little bit of an Asian design to her costume. So it all was sort of related, but not in a big obvious way.
Michael Keaton as Betelgeuse in 1988’s ‘Beetlejuice.’
MF: Finally, I understand that you were working on ‘Beetlejuice 2’ with Tim Burton before the strikes shutdown production. Can you give us a little tease of the costumes fans can expect to see when that movie is eventually released?
CA: Well, as always, you can’t get away from the homage to the original. So there’s that, but there’s a whole next level and layer of fun costumes that are totally not tech costumes, but real, and all the things that go with that. Low tech as opposed to high-tech. So I think It’s going to be really fun for people to see. The art’s in the movie. Tim’s an artist first and foremost, and that art is really present in this ‘Beetlejuice.’ I think people are going to love it.
‘The Little Mermaid’ is available on Digital now, and will be available on 4K, Blu-ray and DVD September 19th.
‘The Little Mermaid’ is produced by Walt Disney Pictures, Lucamar Productions, and Marc Platt Productions. It is set to release in theaters on May 26th, 2023.
The official synopsis for ‘The Little Mermaid’ is below:
“The youngest of King Triton’s daughters, Ariel is a beautiful and spirited young mermaid with a thirst for adventure. Longing to find out more about the world beyond the sea, Ariel visits the surface and falls for the dashing Prince Eric. Following her heart, she makes a deal with the evil sea witch, Ursula, to experience life on land.”
(L to R) Jonah Hauer-King, Jacob Tremblay, Melissa McCarthy, Halle Bailey, Rob Marshall, Javier Bardem and Daveed Diggs attend the UK Premiere Of Disney’s ‘The Little Mermaid’ at Odeon Luxe Leicester Square on May 15, 2023 in London, England. Photo by StillMoving.Net for Disney.
‘The Little Mermaid premiered at the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles on May 8, 2023. The film was released domestically on May 26, 2023.
After auditioning hundreds of actors for the role of Ariel, Halle Bailey was cast in the lead role.
Director Rob Marshall recounts her audition,
“I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. I just thought she’s so deeply connected to what she was singing about. It’s so emotional. It’s so beautiful. And I thought, [laugh] Oh my gosh, we’ve been doing this for five minutes. Have we found Ariel? And we had.”
Landing this role was a dream come true for the actress, as Ariel was her favorite Disney princess growing up. Bailey’s powerhouse voice delivered an emotional rendition of ‘A Part Of Your World’ that brought audiences to tears. Her performance was a joy to watch as she captured the essence of Ariel – her curiosity about the human world and her drive to explore undiscovered places.
Ursula the Sea Witch is a fan-favorite Disney Villain, most notable for her song ‘Poor Unfortunate Soul’. McCarthy’s performance as Ursula delighted critics and audience alike, calling her a “scene stealer”. She matched the villain’s attitude, voice, and laughter while using her comedic skills to make the role her own.
During the filming of the movie, McCarthy confessed that her feet never touched the ground which made her performance even more impressive.
“I slid down the clamshell occasionally, on my back, but I was never literally on my feet. We were either up in rigs or, you know, there were all different magical things. You know, if you were diving, it was one rig. If you were spinning, it was another. But no, never on the ground.”
Director Rob Marshal teams up with Award-winning composer Alan Menken, who worked on the original animated movie for the live-action adaptation to create new music for the film. Fan favorite songs such as ‘A Part of Your World’, ‘Under The Sea’, ‘Kiss The Girl’, and ‘Poor Unfortunate Soul’ all made it into the movie. A few new songs were added as well, including ‘For The First Time’, ‘Wild Uncharted Waters’ and ‘The Scuttlebutt’.
‘For The First Time’ is performed by Halle Bailey after she receives her legs from the sea witch Ursula. How does she sing if Ursula has taken her voice? Think of the song as an internal monologue for Ariel. She is seeing the human world for the first time, and the song is paired with a montage of Ariel experiencing brand new things in the Above World.
‘Wild Uncharted Waters’ is sung by Jonah Hauer-King. While Prince Eric didn’t have a song in the original animated feature, the filmmakers felt that the prince needed a moment where he can talk (or sing) about his passion to be out in on the open sea. This ballad helped flush out Eric’s story and character.
Finally, ‘The Scuttlebutt’ is a song that was performance by both Awkwafina and Daveed Diggs. Written by Lin-Manuel Miranda (‘Hamilton’, ‘Mary Poppins Returns’), this upbeat song and rap is about Scuttle overhearing the gossip of Prince Eric’s plan to propose.
Originally, there was a song for Javier Bardem’s King Triton as well but the song ultimately didn’t make the final cut.
The film was released theatrically in the United States on May 26th, 2023 and is currently playing in theaters. Be sure to check showtimes on Moviefone. below.
Watch the official trailers for ‘The Little Mermaid’ below:
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As this a Disney movie, it will end up on the studio’s streamer Disney+ once it’s ready for streaming. In the past, Disney has followed a 90-day theatrical window which means ‘The Little Mermaid’ may arrive on Disney+ by late August or early September.
(L to R) Jonah Hauer-King, Jacob Tremblay, Melissa McCarthy, Halle Bailey, Rob Marshall, Javier Bardem and Daveed Diggs attend the UK Premiere Of Disney’s ‘The Little Mermaid’ at Odeon Luxe Leicester Square on May 15, 2023 in London, England. Photo by StillMoving.Net for Disney.
The official synopsis for ‘The Little Mermaid’ is:
“The youngest of King Triton’s daughters, Ariel is a beautiful and spirited young mermaid with a thirst for adventure. Longing to find out more about the world beyond the sea, Ariel visits the surface and falls for the dashing Prince Eric. Following her heart, she makes a deal with the evil sea witch, Ursula, to experience life on land.”
The movie is directed by Rob Marshall, who has directed musical movies such as Disney’s ‘Mary Poppins Returns’, ‘Chicago’, and ‘Nine’. The film had its first premiere in Los Angeles at the Dolby Theater on May 8, 2023.
Moviefone recently had the pleasure of attending the virtual press conference for ‘The Little Mermaid’. In attendance were cast members Halle Bailey, Jonah Hauer-King, Melissa McCarthy, Daveed Diggs, Awkwafina, Jacob Tremblay, Javier Bardem, Noma Dumezweni, director Rob Marshall, producer John DeLuca, and Academy Award-winning composer Alan Menken.
Here are 10 things we learned from ‘The Little Mermaid’ virtual press conference:
1. Director Rob Marshall Cried When Halle Sang At Her Audition
(L to R) Melissa McCarthy, Halle Bailey and director Rob Marshall at the London premiere of ‘The Little Mermaid.’
Adapting an animated classic like ‘The Little Mermaid’ is no easy task, as is finding the right actor to play Ariel. Rob Marshall and his team auditioned countless actors, but Bailey’s emotional performance stayed with him.
Producer John DeLuca recalls the moment they heard her sing ‘A Part Of Your World’:
John DeLuca: Well, Rob, when she first auditioned and sang the song for us, I turned to Rob and there were tears streaming down his face.
The director elaborates more on Bailey’s audition, and how she was the very first actor they saw for the role.
Rob Marshall: I mean, here’s the thing. The first actor we saw for this role was Halle. The first thing she did is she came in and sang for us. And she sang that song. She shut her eyes and started to sing the song. And I thought, I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. I just thought she’s so deeply connected to what she was singing about. It’s so emotional. It’s so beautiful. And I thought, [laugh] Oh my gosh, we’ve been doing this for five minutes. Have we found Ariel? And we had.”
Even though Marshall and his team saw tons of actors for the role after Bailey, that was the moment that she landed the role of Ariel,
Rob Marshall: But then we saw hundreds of other actors after that, and Halle kept coming back in. And we saw every ethnicity. We saw everybody. And she claimed the role for hers. That’s what happened.
2. ‘Under The Sea’ Was The Most Complex Number To Shoot
The award-winning song ‘Under The Sea’ is certainly the one fans will be looking forward to in the live-action adaptation. The upbeat Caribbean-inspired song sang by Sebastian, who is trying desperately to convince the land-curious mermaid how lively the sea is, filled with colorful sea creatures dancing to the tune.
Producer John DeLuca says this was the most complex number to shoot in the movie.
John DeLuca: And to conceive and shoot. And just, to have an idea of what we’re gonna do, and then how we were gonna do it. The logistics of that. I remember Rob and I kind of put it aside for a long time.
Rob Marshall: I know, it was so daunting. Because there’s one live actor. One live actor in this massive production number.
Marshall really wanted Ariel to sing in ‘Under The Sea’ and composer Alan Menken came up with the changes on the spot.
Alan Menken: Always at the spur of the moment.
Rob Marshall: Yes, that was the best. I mean, you know, we said, “Alan, we really need her to sing,” and he went into the piano and said, “How about this,” and, “How about this,” and – we tried it on Halle.
Alan Menken: It’s what I do. It’s what I live for.
3. The Cast Got To Record Together And In Person For The Movie
Jacob Tremblay, who voiced Flounder, talks about being able to rehearse with the cast prior to recording, and how recording in person made a difference for the voice work.
Jacob Tremblay: We were all together for quite some time in the studio in England. And we just got to know each other so well. And that definitely really helped with the voice work. Because I preferred it so much better than kind of being in a booth and especially ’cause of Covid. It would usually be on Zoom, but it was definitely a privilege that we all got to be together and we got to, you know, do our scenes together.
Awkwafina (who voiced Scuttle) chimes in about her experience working on the film
Awkwafina: I mean, definitely for me the first time I’ve ever read a scene with other actors. Usually, you know, you’re in the booth and a lot of the time the other actors are, you know, like the directors just read them with you. But we were all able to do it and yeah. It just all happened there. And there were other people in the room too. It was like pretty crazy. And that one day is where most of our performances came from.
4. Cast Says The Rehearsal Process Was Very Different Than Anything They’ve Done Before
Rob Marshall approached the movie from a theater point-of-view and the rehearsal process was important to the director. The cast mentioned that the process was so different from what they usually know in films.
Rob Marshall: I think it’s something I always do. I mean, you know, obviously I come from the theater. We all (referring to John DeLuca and Alan Menken) come from the theater. So there’s a process that I think you have to do. Musicals are kind of a hybrid in a funny way. Movie musicals are a hybrid of theater and film. Because you have to, you know, you can’t just walk in and start singing. You have to learn. Or the choreography. It’s like all part of it. I mean, I always feel that my job as a director is to protect the actors. Make them feel safe in a space where they can screw up and be terrible, and then get better. And not feel judged. I mean, that to me is the most important part of it. And so, it does feel small. It feels intimate. Because you’re creating. And you know what, film is very intimate.
5. Melissa McCarthy’s Feet Never Touched The Ground During Filming
Playing the sea witch Ursula had Melissa McCarthy spending most of her time on wires or a rig for the duration of filming.
Melissa McCarthy: I slid down the clamshell occasionally, on my back, but I was never literally on my feet. We were either up in rigs or, you know, there were all different magical things. You know, if you were diving, it was one rig. If you were spinning, it was another. But no, never on the ground.
Rob Marshall and John DeLuca remember back to this, and the massive team of stunt people who helped make this happen.
John DeLuca: Because then we would have to teach all the stunt people, the 10 to 20 stunt people that would take them through on these apparatus, and they had to know every line, every breath.
Rob Marshall: I mean, sometimes I would say, “action,” [the actor] would say two lines. And I’d say, “cut,” and then we’d put them on another apparatus, put them on wires or something and then go, “Action.” And then, one line, cut. Like, literally, it was like a mosaic.
6. Halle Bailey Talks How Playing Ariel Helped Her Find Herself
The actress opens up on playing her favorite childhood Disney Princess, and how the character inspires her in real life.
Halle Bailey: I tell people all the time I feel like Ariel truly has helped me find myself and like this young woman version of me, you know, because I, well, it’s been five years of my life now. From 18 to now being 23, so those are like, very intense like transformative years as you’re developing as a young woman. But I feel like especially these themes of the film and what she had to go through with her passions and drive, and speaking up for herself, and even though it
may be scary, she went for it. I feel like those things I really try to adopt and give to Halle now. So, she’s taught me so much, for sure.
7. New Songs For The Live-Action Adaptation
Alan Menken attends the UK Premiere Of Disney’s ‘The Little Mermaid’ at Odeon Luxe Leicester Square on May 15, 2023 in London, England. Photo by StillMoving.Net for Disney.
Composer Alan Menken talks about creating new songs and finding the right place for them in the film.
Alan Menken: It’s a group process. Rob and John, David Magee, Lin-Manuel Miranda and me got together. Like first at your apartment, then at my studio. And we went through how the story’s being adapted by David, and how the structure is. And then where are the potential spots? So it’s simply as simple as that. And those decisions are made, first of all, by character, by moment, but also by sequence of a score, and what’s needed at a certain moment. So we chose the moment when Prince Eric, he’s been told, “Don’t go back out there, you can’t,” and he just thinks about this girl. And it’s a love song to her, and it’s a love song to the sea. And to his uncharted waters. So his life is ahead of him. So it ends up being a real important theme throughout the movie.
The composer talks more about collaborating with Lin-Manuel Miranda.
Alan Menken: Then we had the first time she’s on land. And was so much fun, because I gave Lin a very sort of lilting tune and he said, “Can we give a kind of a bap-a-bap, mm-bop-bop.” So it’s a three-against-two kind of feel. Said, “Okay, let’s do that,” and then boom, the song where she’s so excited, everything is so new and so wonderful. And then [Prince Eric] doesn’t think it’s the girl when he realizes she can’t speak. And then she’s so, for the first time, heartbroken. And then the Scuttlebutt, which is just, that’s a surprise gift of him, ’cause I gave him this Caribbean tune. And Lin sort of did a rap over it that was so perfect. Used the music, but it had this rhythmic pulse to it. It was just pure Lin-Manuel Miranda.
8. Javier Bardem Originally Had A Song In The Film
A few members of the cast acknowledge that they don’t see themselves as singers but working with Rob Marshall and Alan Menken brought out the musicality in them, including Javier Bardem. Unfortunately, the song didn’t make it to the final version of the film.
Alan Menken: Javier sang a song that, it happens all the time in musicals, we didn’t need that particular spot for the film.
9. Daveed Diggs Says This Is The Coolest Thing He’s Ever Been A Part Of
Daveed Diggs attends the UK Premiere Of Disney’s ‘The Little Mermaid’ at Odeon Luxe Leicester Square on May 15, 2023 in London, England. Photo by StillMoving.Net for Disney.
The actor, widely known for his role as Marquis La Lafyette in Broadway’s ‘Hamilton’ talks about his experience in making ‘The Little Mermaid’, and seeing it premiere on the big screen.
Daveed Diggs: We worked on it like it was a small thing. At least in that work session, it really felt like we were kind of doing, like, community theater. We were pushing boxes around, like, to make sets, you know what I’m saying? And we got in this groove where it was, like, that’s how you make art. We made something that we understood, that everybody could wrap their arms around, and that we really believed in and knew inside and out. And then so to show up when they’re shutting down the street and, like, the posters are huge, and then you watch the film and it’s massive, on this massive screen, and the world, it’s a whole world that I never saw at all, you know what I’m saying?
10. Jonah-Hauer King Talks His Favorite New Addition To The Original Story
The romance between Ariel and Prince Eric is an iconic one. Jonah-Hauer King talks about his favorite new additions to their love story.
Jonah Hauer-King: Friendship, I think. Disney romances are always, you know, they’re filled with that instinctive attraction to one another. We all wanna see that. But I think what was fun about this, and I think a lot of it came from our off-screen selves as well, was looking at Ariel and Eric as two people who were kindred spirits who felt a little bit restless, who felt like they were behind the four walls of their respective castles, and were very much looking outwards and not in. And I think what was nice about that was that it meant that their relationship feels really earnd. They both felt like they were teaching each other things. They were excited and fascinated by each other’s worlds although they didn’t actually know it until the end.
He elaborates more on the love story:
Jonah Hauer-King: I think it’s a really good message for what it means to be in love and what it means to be in a relationship is ultimately tied to friendship. That’s the fundamental thing of it. And that’s why it lasts, and that’s what makes it special. So, that was really fun to explore and it was easy ’cause, you know, [Halle’s] a riot, so we kinda got on fine.
‘The Little Mermaid’ will swim into in theaters on May 26, 2023.
‘The Little Mermaid’ is produced by Walt Disney Pictures, Lucamar Productions, and Marc Platt Productions. It is set to release in theaters on May 26th, 2023.
Ariel (Halle Bailey), the youngest daughter of the kingdom Atlantica’s ruler King Triton (Javier Bardem), is fascinated with the human world but mermaids are forbidden to explore it. After saving Prince Eric (Jonah Hauer-King) from a shipwreck and falling in love with him, she becomes determined to be with him in the world above water. These actions lead to a confrontation with her father and an encounter with the conniving sea witch Ursula (Melissa McCarthy), making a deal with her to trade her beautiful voice for human legs so she can discover the world above water and impress Eric. However, this ultimately places her life (and her father’s crown) in jeopardy.
Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with Halle Bailey and Jonah Hauer-King about their work on ‘The Little Mermaid,’ what audiences can expect from the new movie, shooting the underwater scenes, and working with the puppeteers.
(L to R) Jonah Hauer-King and Halle Bailey at the London premiere of ‘The Little Mermaid.’
You can read the full interview below or click on the video player above to watch our interviews with Bailey, Hauer-King, Javier Bardem, and Melissa McCarthy, as well as director Rob Marshall and producer John DeLuca.
Moviefone: To begin with, Halle, what would you say to moviegoers to prepare them for this live-action version of ‘The Little Mermaid?’
Halle Bailey: I would definitely say to moviegoers who are excited to see the film, be prepared for a fun, joyful, exciting, magical, emotional journey that we take you on in this film. Rob Marshall is a visionary and has done such a beautiful job with directing this film, and everyone has worked collectively so hard to just make everyone happy. We hope that they love it ultimately.
MF: Jonah, what would you say to moviegoers to prepare them for the theatrical experience they are about to have?
Jonah Hauer-King: Yeah, exactly that. It’s a huge, big epic adventure, but I think it’s really grounded in human stories, and mermaid stories, about what it means to relate to one another, and what it means to fall in love. I think it feels grounded in reality despite how big and epic the scale is.
MF: Halle, I understand that for some of your underwater scenes you actually did not perform them in water, but rather on wires without water. What was that process like for you?
HB: Yes, so it was really beautiful because I had kind of split time between the blue-screen work, which is what you see when we’re doing the underwater scenes and the dialogue, like me and Javier or me and Flounder and Sebastian, which was me harnessed in the air in a swimming position, simulating the iconic Ariel swim. Then when it gets to the shipwreck scenes or when I’m saving Eric, that was in water, in real water in the tank at Pinewood, which is this huge beautiful tank. So I feel like I had the best of both worlds and it was really cool for me because it was a lot of physicality, but I was able to just have fun with it, and we had so much fun.
MF: But Jonah, you were actually in the water for a lot of your scenes, how challenging were those sequences for you to shoot?
JHK: What was crazy though was that when we were in the water together, I could interact with water like a human would, which is fine. So when the storms go in, it’s okay, I can just be drowning and that’s all right. She had to look like she actually was a mermaid. So that was insane, but I think she pulled it off pretty well.
MF: Halle, which was more difficult for you, actually being in the water, or pretending to swim while on wires?
HB: The wires were a bit harder because it was a lot of core strength that you had to hold yourself up with. Then we had this beautiful stunt team that would hold my legs together basically, and then I would be kind of just suspended in the air on my side. So it was a lot of oblique work and trying not to look like I’m shaking while I’m doing the dialogue and singing. So I think that was maybe the more difficult. Whereas the water, you can just let it take you and it’d be fine.
MF: Finally, Halle, I also understand that characters like Scuttle, Flounder and Sebastian were actually performed by puppeteers on set. What was it like for you performing with the puppeteers?
HB: Yes, so we had a really awesome preparation period. Rob Marshall is a perfectionist, and he’s prepared. So before we actually started filming, we had three months of rehearsals with the cast, getting to know each other, bonding, and getting that connection that ultimately we needed to be able to play with these characters. We had already rehearsed a lot with Jacob, Daveed, and Awkwafina. So by the time it got to actually filming for me, they were no longer on set, but I would hear them in my ears. We had already built that connection and bond, and I was left with these amazing puppeteers, so they would kind of hold them in place for my eye-line before we started shooting. Then when we had to film, they took them away and I would literally just be talking to nothing, talking to air, looking like a crazy person before they’re added it in after. Then when it was added after, it’s like, “Okay, great.” It looks like I’m actually talking to them and they’re actually there.
(L to R) Jonah Hauer-King and Halle Bailey star in ‘The Little Mermaid.’
‘The Little Mermaid’ is produced by Walt Disney Pictures, Lucamar Productions, and Marc Platt Productions. It is set to release in theaters on May 26th, 2023.
Get ready for life under the sea in the upcoming Disney live-action adaptation of ‘The Little Mermaid’, splashing into theaters on May 26th. Directed by Rob Marshall, the film is adapted from the 1989 animated feature of the same name.
The story of ‘The Little Mermaid’ follows the youngest of King Triton’s daughters – Ariel. With a thirst for adventure and an unwavering curiosity about the Above World, Ariel longs to learn more about humans. When she finally breaks the surface, she sees and falls in love with Prince Eric. Ariel seeks out sea witch Ursula to strike a deal to live as a human – exchanging her golden voice for legs.
The 1989 animated feature film is a part of the Disney Renaissance era, best known for its vibrant musical films such as ‘Beauty and the Beast’, ‘Aladdin’, and ‘The Lion King’. The original is beloved amongst Disney fans who know this movie (and all of its songs) forward and backward. Reimaging a classic like ‘The Little Mermaid’ is no easy task, yet director Rob Marshall has stepped up to the plate and delivered a live-action version that is faithful to the original while adding unique spins to the story. Halle Bailey proves to be the perfect choice as the lead, with her angelic voice that captured Ariel’s essence in her rendition of ‘A Part Of Your World’.
The biggest challenge for any Disney live-action adaptation is transforming the iconic animation into live-action with the help of CGI and special effects. Underwater scenes are never easy to do, and at times the effects looked disjointed and rough. Regardless, it doesn’t take away from the charm of the movie and with a solid performance from the cast, ‘The Little Mermaid’ is a joy to watch.
With any live-action adaptation, audiences will be looking for certain scenes and moments from the original animated film. Rob Marshall’s ‘The Little Mermaid’ kept many of the fan-favorite moments such as Ariel’s iconic hair flip as she breaks the surface after receiving her legs from Ursula. But what changes did they make? The most obvious change is the looks of Ariel’s sidekick trio: Flounder, Sebastian, and Scuttle. As it is a live-action adaptation, it wouldn’t have made sense to make these characters look exactly like the cartoon. Instead, the film’s photo-realistic version depicted Flounder as a tropical yellow fish with dark blue strips, Sebastian as a ghost crab, and Scuttle as a Northern Gannet instead of a seagull.
Another change from the animated is the addition of Queen Selina – Prince Eric’s mother played by actress Noma Dumezweni (‘Mary Poppins Returns’). Having her in the film was a welcoming change, giving a lot more layers to Prince Eric’s storyline and fleshing out the Above World more than the animated movie did. Dumezweni is reunited with Rob Marshall and producer Jon DeLuca on ‘The Little Mermaid’ as she previously worked with the duo on ‘Mary Poppins Returns’.
King Triton’s concert from the original animated was not featured in the live-action version, and while this film does highlight Ariel’s Mer-sisters in a different way, the concert would have given the audience a closer look at Ariel’s siren voice – which King Triton eludes in the film that it contains magical properties such as healing. This is not to say Ariel uses her voice to affect someone’s decisions or moods. Additionally, the concert would have given more life to the underwater kingdom by showing other merfolk and architecture, which was sorely missing from the film.
Another fan-favorite scene that did not make it into the live-action version is one that takes place in the castle’s kitchen with Chef Louis who chases Sebastian around the kitchen while preparing a meal for Prince Eric, Grimsby, and Ariel. It was rumored that Lin-Manuel Miranda may have played the part of the Chef, and it would have been fun to hear his rendition of ‘Les Poissons’
There are a few new songs added as well, including a solo number for Prince Eric. Ariel also has a brand new song that will have you tapping your feet. The overall story and pacing of the movie match the original, the changes made it so that this was not just another shot-for-shot movie.
Halle Bailey is no stranger to the spotlight. She began acting at the age of 3 and launched a YouTube channel with her sister Chloe at the age of 11. Their covers of ‘Best Thing I Never Had’ and ‘Pretty Hurts’ went viral, propelling the sisters onto the road of stardom. Later, the sisters were signed to Parkwood Entertainment management company, which is owned by Grammy Award-winning singer Beyoncé Knowles.
Bailey was the first actress to audition for the role of Ariel. She sang ‘A Part of Your World’ for her audition, and director Rob Marshall was left in tears by her performance. It’s easy to see how Marshall felt so emotional during her audition. Bailey’s rendition of the song made many in the audience feel overcome with emotion, and sniffles (and cheering) were heard all over the theater.
She captured the essence of Ariel – her passion and curiosity of the human world, her longing to be heard and be independent, and how much love and kindness she had to give. Bailey gave it all she got and is easy to see why she was the best choice to play Ariel.
The sea witch Ursula has become an iconic Disney villain. The bigger-than-life role falls on the shoulders of Melissa McCarthy who had the audience wrapped around her tentacles. Her performance was big and theatrical, and she delivered ‘Poor Unfortunate Soul’ with so much flair it was a joy to watch. While she delivered some intense (and at times unhinged) moments, she also used her comedic ability to break up the tension, causing the audience to burst into laughter. All eyes were on Ursula whenever she was on the screen.
Final Thoughts
‘The Little Mermaid’ may just be the best Disney live-action adaptation to date. Halle Bailey shines as Ariel. The original songs from the animated sounded great with performances from Bailey, Diggs, and McCarthy. Daveed Digg’s Sebastion and Awkwafina’s Scuttle are fantastic as a comedic duo.
It was great to see Prince Eric have more of a backstory and substance than just a typical Disney Prince treatment. The special effects and CGI were rough in parts, and the world-building of the underworld world left much to be desired but the performances and story outweigh those issues. If you loved ‘The Little Mermaid’ growing up, you will have fun with this one.
‘The Little Mermaid’ is produced by Walt Disney Pictures, Lucamar Productions, and Marc Platt Productions. It is set to release in theaters on May 26th, 2023.
