Yahoo News The Little Mermaid strikes a deal with Ursula in new live-action footage
Melissa McCarthy's conniving sea witch Ursula makes a deal with Ariel in new footage from the upcoming The Little Mermaid live-action remake.
Disney released a new behind-the-scenes featurette with stars Halle Bailey, Awkwafina, McCarthy, lyricist Lin-Manuel Miranda, and director Rob Marshall, among others. The clip offers the most striking footage of McCarthy's Ursula yet as she makes a deal with Ariel (Bailey) to transform her into a human.
"I've been watching you for a long time now, dearie," she says in the footage. "We got a deal? I mean, I just gave you the premium package, kid."
"She's hilarious and terrifying," Awkwafina, who voices Scuttle, says of McCarthy's villain.
Alan Menken, who composed the 1989 animated original, returns to score the live-action remake. "It's especially emotional coming back and with Lin-Manuel Miranda, who is so brilliant," Menken says in the featurette.
The new film, which swims into theaters May 26, also stars Javier Bardem as King Triton, Jonah Hauer-King as Prince Eric, Jacob Tremblay as Flounder, and Daveed Diggs as Sebastian.
"It's a very emotional story," Marshall said of the source material in EW's Little Mermaid cover story. "We were able to take the beauty of what's there in the original film and the Hans Christian Andersen tale and really bring more depth." Though Andersen's tale was written in the 1800s, "it seems very modern, about this girl who wants something more, feels displaced, doesn't feel like everyone around her," the director said.
"Through courage and her own convictions and her own passions, she gives up so much to be where she really feels she belongs," he added.
Disney Melissa McCarthy as Ursula in 'The Little Mermaid'
As for McCarthy's Ursula, the character in the original movie was inspired by late drag performer Divine, so it makes sense the comic actress evoked drag queens for her portrayal. "I'm a huge, huge fan of drag shows and the whole art of it and the entertainment of it," McCarthy told EW. "I've been going to shows since I was not supposed to be going to shows. There's a drag queen that lives in me. I'm always right on the verge of going full-time with her."
Watch the behind-the-scenes featurette above.
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