ABC recently announced the cast for The Little Mermaid Live, which includes Queen Latifah, Shaggy and Auli’i Cravalho, who played the voice of Disney’s Moana, on Monday, August 6.
Cravalho has been cast as Ariel in the live concert production, while Queen Latifah is set to play Ursula, according to People. Singer Shaggy will play Sebastian. Additional casting announcements are said to be made at a later date.
According to ABC, the production will “take viewers on a magical adventure under the sea as live musical performances by a star-studded cast will be interwoven into the broadcast of the original feature film.” The press release continued, “This never-before-seen hybrid format will feature beautifully intricate sets and costumes, with music from the original animated film and the Tony Award-winning Broadway stage version.”
This news comes after Disney’s announcement of its live-action feature adaptation of the film, which will star Halle Bailey as Ariel. The actress is known for her role as Sky on Freeform’s Grown-ish. Harry Styles is also in talks to play Prince Eric. Other actors in contention to costar include Awkwafina as Scuttle, Melissa McCarthy as Ursula, Javier Bardem as King Triton, and Jacob Tremblay as Flounder.
Karey Burke, ABC’s president of entertainment, said the network is not worried about the TV version overshadowing the upcoming movie.
The live event is seemingly “unlike anything that any network has done before in terms of live-action musical.” She added that the vision is “kind of mind-blowing.”
The live musical event is set to air on ABC on Nov. 5 as apart of The Wonderful World of Disney franchise honoring the 30th anniversary of The Little Mermaid.
