Melissa McCarthy is heading under the sea.
The Can You Ever Forgive Me? Oscar nominee is in early talks to play Ursula in Disney’s live-action remake of The Little Mermaid, EW has confirmed.
Though the studio hasn’t officially made an announcement, Rob Marshall confirmed to EW last year that he was diving into directing the project immediately after Mary Poppins Returns, which hit theaters last December. “It’s about a woman finding her voice,” Marshall told EW. “A girl finding her voice, actually. And that immediately just felt like an interesting, timely piece that resonated with us.”
The Little Mermaid‘s original composer, Alan Menken, is writing new music for the live-action version. Lin-Manuel Miranda, who worked with Marshall on Poppins, has also been tapped to work on lyrics for new music for the film with Menken.
In addition to his musical duties, Miranda will also produce alongside La La Land producer Marc Platt.
The 1989 animated film, which was directed by Ron Clements and John Musker, tells the beloved tale of Ariel (voiced by Jodi Benson), a young mermaid who falls in love with a prince and longs to be human. The nefarious sea witch Ursula agrees to make Ariel’s dreams come true in exchange for her beautiful voice.
McCarthy will next be seen alongside Elisabeth Moss and Tiffany Haddish in The Kitchen in August.
