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European film studio Hope Studios, led by Fredrik Wikström Nicastro, the veteran producer behind Sony’s hit Tom Hanks movie “A Man Called Otto,” is setting up a feature adaptation of Robin Sharma’s “The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari,” the bestselling book about a life-changing journey.

Based on Sharma’s own search for life’s true purpose, “The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari” tells the story of Julian Mantle, a lawyer forced to confront the personal crisis of his out-of-balance life after a tragedy – and his transformational journey through India. Translated into 70 languages, the book has sold over 10 million copies since being first published in 1999.

The project is the latest high profile IP tackled by Hope Studios, the banner launched in November 2023 by Wikström Nicastro who spent 18 years at the Nordic powerhouse Sf Studios and became one of its pillars, producing more than 20 movies. During his tenure at the banner,...

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Valentine’s Day is finally here, and Netflix has the perfect films to watch on this romantic day with your significant other. In this list, we have included some new films and some classics, but they all have that comforting feeling of love that people crave especially today. So, here are the 10 best romantic movies on Netflix to watch this Valentine’s Day with your partner.

Hit Man Credit – Netflix

Hit Man is a romantic crime comedy film directed by Richard Linklater, who also co-wrote the screenplay with Glen Powell. The 2023 film follows Gary Johnson, a mild-mannered psychology and philosophy professor who moonlights as a pretend hitman for the police to catch the people trying to hire him. When he meets a beautiful woman who wants to hire him to kill her abusive husband, his life completely changes.

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Netflix is one of the best places to find the best movies and TV shows you can watch on any streaming service. Every month, it adds hundreds of new titles to its content library, but with that, there are also some titles that have got to go. So, today, we are here to tell you about the best film you should watch before it leaves Netflix in November 2024.

A Man Called Otto (November 5) Credit – Sony Pictures

A Man Called Otto is a comedy-drama film directed by Marc Foster from a screenplay by David Magee. Based on the 2012 novel A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman and its 2015 Swedish adaptation of the same name by Hannes Holm, the 2022 film follows a lonely widower who sees no purpose in life and decides to take a drastic step but when his...

Exclusive: Scandi crime master Jo Nesbø is adapting his recent novel The Night House, a Stephen King-esque tale set in small town America in the mid-eighties, into a horror movie to film next spring.

The project combines Nesbø with veteran producer Fredrik Wikström Nicastro (A Man Called Otto) of Hope Studios and writer and director Jesper Ganslandt, co-creator and director of hit Netflix show Snabba Cash. Ganslandt will direct, and co-script with Nesbø. Niclas Salomonsson and Nesbø are exec producers.

The synopsis reads: “Recently orphaned, Richard has been sent to live with relatives in the remote US town of Ballantyne. One day, during an innocent prank in a phone booth, Richard shockingly witnesses his classmate getting sucked into the phone receiver – disappearing without a trace. The local police suspect Richard to be responsible and no one believes his story. No one, except Karen – a fellow teenage outsider. Together Richard...

Prime Video's Good Omens is headed for its third and final season on the Amazon streamer, but a very personal matter is holding back production. Neil Gaiman, the showrunner, writer, and executive producer of the series, has been accused of sexual assault and abuse by numerous women. Due to those allegations, Amazon has paused pre-production on Season 3, but Gaiman has made an offer that could allow Good Omens to get its final run on the platform.

Good Omens

Per Deadline, Gaiman made an offer to take a step back from the final season of the Prime Video series so that production on Season 3 of Good Omens can resume. While this might sound like an admission of some guilt on Gaiman's part regarding the sexual assault allegations, that is not the case, and he continues to deny all the accusations made against him. This appears to be a move on Gaiman's...

In recent years, Neil Gaiman has seen many of his beloved works become outstanding TV shows, from The Sandman and Dead Boy Detectives to Good Omens and American Gods. His name is ubiquitous in the fantasy space, but amid numerous sexual assault allegations, adaptations of his works are starting to be affected. Notably, Disney has paused its live-action adaptation of The Graveyard Book.

The Graveyard Book follows Nobody "Bod," a young boy who seeks refuge in a graveyard after his parents are murdered. He meets ghosts who become his new family and he grows up in the graveyard. The book shares a striking resemblance to Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book...except with ghosts instead of jungle animals.

Disney's adaptation of The Graveyard Book was announced in 2022. Marc Forster was on board to direct the movie, with David Magee penning the script. Neil Gaiman himself was never directly involved. When the project was announced,...

Disney has halted development on a forthcoming film adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s The Graveyard Book in the midst of accusations of sexual assault against the writer. The film, from director Marc Forster, hasn’t been stopped completely, according to IndieWire, however “multiple factors, including the allegations, contributed to putting it on hold.”

No cast has been announced for The Graveyard Book, about a young boy raised by the supernatural inhabitants of a graveyard after his family is murdered. Forster came on board in 2022 along with his producing partner Renée Wolfe and producer Ben Browning.

Disney has put the brakes on a planned movie of Neil Gaiman’s The Graveyard Book, following allegations made against the author.

Plans for a film based on Neil Gaiman’s The Graveyard Book have been put firmly on hold, as the author faces sexual assault allegations. Gaiman has strongly denied the allegations, which have come from two women and were reported here.

In the last year or two, it looked as if Disney was going to push ahead with a screen adaptation of Gaiman’s The Graveyard Book, a title first published back in 2008. At one stage, this was set to be a story that the brilliant Henry Selick was looking to bring to the screen, but that turned out not to be. However, in 2022 it looked like the film had found a way forward when Marc Forster was revealed to be directing, and David Magee penning the screenplay.

Production on The Graveyard Book, a feature film based on a Neil Gaiman story that was in development at Disney, has been indefinitely postponed. The news follows serious allegations of misconduct made against Gaiman.

Previously, it had been reported that Gaiman had been accused of sexual assault. IndieWire now reports that Disney has shelved The Graveyard Book, but it was also noted that the allegations were just one factor in the decision to pause the project. Notably, the movie hasn't been outright canceled and could potentially go back into production at some point in the future. While there may have been other factors that led to the movie getting paused, it seems likely that Disney won't move forward with the project until seeing how the situation with Gaiman ultimately plays out.

Related Coraline Director's Planned Neil Gaiman Reunion Film Gets Unfortunate Update

Director Henry Selick says work on a potential sequel has stalled.

Amid a recent series of sexual assault allegations against award-winning author Neil Gaiman, Disney has put a planned feature adaptation of his 2008 YA title The Graveyard Book on pause, Deadline can confirm.

Reps for the studio declined comment.

We’re told that there were a number of factors behind the decision to push pause on the film, the allegations against Gaiman — which the author has denied — being only one of them. Among the first accusers to come forward against Gaiman, in reporting from the U.K.-based Tortoise Media, was Scarlett, who alleged that the author sexually assaulted her in New Zealand in February 2022, while she was working as a nanny to his child. Another, K, said that after meeting Gaiman at a Florida book signing in 2003, aged 18, she was submitted to rough sex with him — amid an otherwise consensual relationship — which she “neither wanted nor enjoyed.”

Don’t expect...

Disney has paused its adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s “The Graveyard Book,” which had set up production offices. The move comes after five women alleged sexual assault against author Gaiman, who wrote young adult novel “The Graveyard Book” in 2008.

Insiders tell IndieWire the film has not been scrapped but multiple factors, including the allegations, contributed to putting it on hold. Marc Forster was attached to direct.

This summer, U.K.-based startup news outlet Tortoise Media published a podcast series with detailed accounts of claims against Gaiman by four women. A fifth woman came forward in late July on the podcast “Am I Broken: Survivor Stories.” Two women said they’d been in consensual relationships with the author, but alleged that he’d forced them into non-consensual “rough and degrading” sex. The claims referred to incidents that were years apart.

Gaiman, who has denied the allegations, rose to international fame...

Prioritize entertainment over messages for more compelling stories with engaging characters - John Musker advises Disney. Disney's live-action remakes focus on risk reduction, rather than appealing elements like character expression, according to John Musker. Disney live-action remakes continue, with Mufasa: The Lion King, Snow White, Lilo & Stitch, Hercules, Moana, Bambi, Robin Hood, and The Aristocats all now in the works

Disney director John Musker, who is best known for helming such classics for the beloved animation studio as The Little Mermaid and Aladdin, has criticized the House of Mouse for prioritizing a message over entertainment and storytelling. Speaking with the Spanish outlet El Pas during a recent appearance at the Animayo International Summit in Gran Canaria, Musker explained that, while you can tackle certain agendas, they need to come after sympathetic characters and a compelling story.

I think they need to do a course correction a bit in terms of putting the message secondary,...

Fredrik Backman’s bestselling novel “Anxious People” is set to be adapted into a feature film by “The Little Mermaid” screenwriter David Magee.

Fredrik Wikström Nicastro’s Hope Studios is producing the project.

“’Anxious People’ is a heartwarming and uplifting comedy about a group of strangers that get caught up in an unusual hostage situation on Thanksgiving,” reads the logline. “A story about compassion, connection, second chances, and eight extremely anxious strangers who find they have more in common than they ever imagined.”

The book, published by Atria Books/S&s, is a number one New York Times bestseller.

Magee and Nicastro previously collaborated on a screen adaptation of another Backman novel, “A Man Called Ove,” which was turned into the feature “A Man Called Otto” starring Tom Hanks.

Backman and Neda Backman will executive produce “Anxious People” alongside Magee.

“Fredrik Backman has a gift for deeply human stories that are poignant,...

Ariel has six older sisters who are responsible for different parts of the sea and assist King Triton in his duties. Each sister has unique characteristics and roles, such as Mala being fearless and committed to protecting the reefs, and Caspia being selfless and putting her people first. The live-action remake provides more details about Ariel's sisters through merchandise, showcasing their individual personalities and storylines.

The live-action remake of Disney’s The Little Mermaid made a couple of changes to the animated classic, among them Ariel’s sisters, who, though they appear in the movie, are very different from their animated versions. The list of Disney’s live-action remakes continues to grow, and now part of it is The Little Mermaid. Director Rob Marshall and writer David Magee took the 1989 animated classic (based on the 1837 fairy tale of the same name by Hans Christian Andersen) and brought it to life...

Just like with almost every other 2024 film, I didn’t know much about The Tiger’s Apprentice. In fact, besides the fact that it had a tiger, I really didn’t know anything else about it. Therefore, I was surprised to see a cast boasting the likes of Henry Golding (The Gentlemen), Lucy Liu (Shazam! Fury of the Gods), Sandra Oh (Quiz Lady), and Michelle Yeoh (Everything Everywhere All at Once), as well as talented screenwriters like David Magee (The Little Mermaid) and Christopher Yost (Thor: Ragnarok). Director Raman Hui (Monster Hunt) was the ‘wildcard’ I was unfamiliar with, so overall, I held no expectations whatsoever.

The Tiger’s Apprentice follows the well-covered, formulaic path of a young protagonist discovering a family secret and bearing it against some sort of antagonist. In this particular case, Tom (Brandon Soo Hoo), a Chinese American boy living in San Francisco, is the latest in a...

The Little Mermaid is making waves with its streaming debut on Disney+, swimming past previous records to become one of the most popular films to ever premiere on the platform.

The Little Mermaid, a live-action remake of the animated Disney classic, premiered in movie theaters on Memorial Day weekend with a domestic gross of over $118 million at the box office. It went on to earn $570 million globally by the end of its theatrical run, later making its way to Disney+ on Sept. 6. The Walt Disney Company has now announced that the movie has amassed 16 million views within its first five days, making it the most-viewed film premiere on Disney+ since Hocus Pocus 2 last year. The new movie's release has trickled down to the previous animated Little Mermaid movies, giving them a bump in viewership on Disney+ as well.

Related: Across the Spider-Verse and The Little Mermaid Have One Major...

Disney’s live-action remake of The Little Mermaid debuted on Disney+ last week and made one hell of a splash. According to Disney, The Little Mermaid has garnered 16 million views in its first five days on the streaming service, which makes it the most-watched Disney movie premiere on Disney+ since the release of Hocus Pocus 2 last year.

While The Little Mermaid wasn’t one of Disney’s strongest-performing live-action remakes, it went on to gross $569 million worldwide and stands (so far) as one of the highest-grossing movies of the year. Judging by the streaming numbers, it seems that many were eager to revisit The Little Mermaid (or watch it for the first time) on the streaming service. Disney says that a view is defined as total stream time divided by runtime.

Related Lin-Manuel Miranda is set to adapt The Warriors into a musical stage play-ay

The Little Mermaid stars Halle Bailey (grown-ish) as Ariel,...

The live-action remake of “The Little Mermaid” is ready to make a splash on Disney+. The Rob Marshall-directed film starring Halle Bailey, which opened in theaters in late May, will arrive on the company’s direct-to-consumer streaming service Sept. 6.

Ready to go back “Under the Sea?”

As part of the release, Disney+ subscribers will have access to special bonus content, including a King Triton song called “Impossible Child” with music by multiple Academy Award winner Alan Menken and lyrics by three-time Tony Award winner Lin-Manuel Miranda; “Passing the Dinglehopper,” and “Under the Sea – Song Breakdown.” You’re about to get a deep dive into the making of the film.

“The Little Mermaid,” starring Bailey, Javier Bardem, Melissa McCarthy, Jonah Hauer-King, Daveed Diggs, Awkwafina, Jacob Tremblay, Noma Dumezweni and Art Malik, made more than $542 at the global box office since its early-summer release. Marshall directed the film from a script...

Ariel has become a part of our world with the continued success of The Little Mermaid. The Disney remake performed well in theaters, managing to surpass $564 million at the global box office with expectations of reaching $600 by the end of its run. After the film was made available for digital download on July 25, it has found more success with viewers at home, winding up at the top of the lists of the digital charts.

Per IndieWire, The Little Mermaid is in the No. 1 spot on the digital charts for iTunes, followed by The Super Mario Bros. Movie and The Flash in second and third. The top two are the same on Google Play, though Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 pushed The Flash down to No. 4 on that list. Meanwhile, The Little Mermaid is No. 1 on Vudu's digital chart as well, while The Flash and Transformers: Rise of the Beasts...

Disney’s The Little Mermaid live-action came and conquered fans’ hearts. After swimming past many box office milestones during its theatrical run, the movie is finally out on digital for audiences’ leisure watch. The musical romantic fantasy, directed by Rob Marshall from a screenplay written by David Magee, reimagines the story elements for contemporary times while keeping the core message of the feature intact.

Disney‘s live-action remake of The Little Mermaid is swimming onto the home market in September with a Digital, 4K Uhd, Blu-ray, and DVD rollout. The Little Mermaid arrives exclusively on Digital retailers on July 25 and 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, and DVD on September 19.

Per Disney’s official press release:

The Little Mermaid is visionary filmmaker Rob Marshall’s live-action reimagining of Disney’s beloved animated musical classic, the story of Ariel, a beautiful and spirited young mermaid with a thirst for adventure. The youngest of King Triton’s daughters and the most defiant, Ariel longs to find out more about the world beyond the sea and, while visiting the surface, falls for the dashing Prince Eric. While mermaids are forbidden to interact with humans, Ariel must follow her heart. She makes a deal with the evil sea witch, Ursula, which gives her a chance to experience life on land...

You can count Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson as a fan of Halle Bailey. Taking to Twitter, Johnson shared a video clip from a recent trip to the movie theater along with four young girls to see The Little Mermaid, the live-action remake of the animated Disney classic. Johnson says that his group was invited by Bailey and director Rob Marshall, who'd also left gifts for the children to take home. In the video clip, Johnson and the kids thank Bailey for the Little Mermaid merchandise while expressing how much they enjoyed the new movie. In his tweet, The Rock also gave some very high praise to Bailey.

The little Queen’s have spoken - we Loved the Little Mermaid...

The latest clip from Disney’s live action remake of The Little Mermaid gives audiences the chance to hear the divisive new song, The Scuttlebutt, for themselves. No doubt many will regret doing so. Released courtesy of Walt Disney Studios, The Scuttlebutt is performed by Awkwafina as the voice of Scuttle and Daveed Diggs as the voice of Sebastian, and is quickly recognizable as the work of Hamilton’s Lin-Manuel Miranda. Check out the new clip below...if you dare...

Made up of the kind of fast-paced rap sequences that Miranda has become known for, The Scuttlebutt is one of four new songs to feature in The Little Mermaid and has already garnered something of an infamous reputation. The song finds Awkwafina’s gannet, Scuttle, relaying some gossip about Prince Eric to Halle Bailey’s Ariel. In rap form.

The song marks another of Disney’s recent collaborations with Lin-Manuel...

The Little Mermaid has been criticized by a prominent media diversity advocate for failing to acknowledge the horrors of slavery in the Caribbean.

Marcus Ryder, an influential British campaigner who also chairs the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, celebrated the casting of Halle Bailey but took issue with the film’s glossy depiction of racial harmony.

After watching the Disney remake with his six-year-old son, Ryder felt compelled to write a blog about the movie, which he said missed an opportunity to gently educate children.

Ryder said The Little Mermaid appears to be set in the 18th century at a time of African chattel slavery, but the fictional Caribbean islanders close to Atlantica live in a world free from human rights atrocities.

“I do not think we do our children any favours by pretending that slavery didn’t exist,” he wrote in the blog, titled ‘Disney’s The Little Mermaid,...

Remaking Disney's animated classics is a fool's errand, and yet a lucrative enough one that many filmmakers have tried their hand at it and mostly come up empty. So far, the only director to have moderate success at the task is indie darling David Lowery, who's batting two for two after this spring's underrated if flawed "Peter Pan and Wendy" and the 2016 family drama "Pete's Dragon." 

It's to Lowery's credit that in each case, he's tackled a pre-existing title that either has a checkered and controversial history ("Peter Pan") or boasts a small enough fanbase that redoing the entire story won't alienate too many people ("Pete's Dragon"). But if you step too far off the beaten path with remaking titles from Disney's Renaissance era of the 1980s and 1990s, you risk angering most viewers. The alternative: films like "The Little Mermaid," the latest Disney remake that purports to change...

While The Little Mermaid has been a big hit financially, but not everyone who went and saw the film during the four-day holiday weekend walked away satisfied. British singer Paloma Faith was among those in attendance, and taking to her Instagram Stories, she shared her thoughts on the film after a viewing with her children. Faith offered praise to leads star Halle Bailey for her performance as Ariel, but beyond that, the singer wasn't happy with the film because of the message that she feels that it sends to the young girls who watch it.

Per TMZ, Faith's message stated, "Just seen the new Little Mermaid with my kids and while I think Halle gives a good performance and it's great casting, as a mother of girls I don't want my kids to think it's ok to give up your entire voice and your powers to love a man. Wtf is this sh*t?...

With big bucks made at the box office, The Little Mermaid has been drawing many filmgoers out to theaters over the four-day holiday weekend. Among those who went to see the movie was Halle Bailey, the main star of the film. In the movie, Bailey plays a live-action incarnation of Ariel, making her the newest Disney Princess.

Taking to TikTok after the film's premiere, Bailey shared a video revealing how she went to a theater to see the film. To remain undetected by fans, Bailey utilized sunglasses and a face mask, and as the video shows, she was able to purchase a bucket of popcorn and get into a screening of the movie just as it was getting started. There are filmgoers that can be seen in the video, including one person taking a selfie in front of a large display for The Little Mermaid, unaware that Bailey herself was literally walking right past her.

The Little Mermaid remake star Halle Bailey has provided a new peek behind the scenes of the film. Taking to Twitter, Bailey shared a pair of video clips along with a couple of photos that come from the movie's set. The first video clip reveals Bailey addressing the camera while she was in the midst of working on the "Part of Your World" scene. Another video clip reveals a look at the "Under the Sea" scene coming together with Bailey strung up on wires to give the appearance that she's swimming. Meanwhile, one photo shows co-star Jonah Hauer-King cradling a cardboard cutout of Bailey's Ariel, while a second image is from Javier Bardem's last day on set.

some more bts moments (can’t believe this was almost three years ago)...

Disney's remake of The Little Mermaid has introduced Halle Bailey as a new incarnation of Ariel, making her the newest Disney Princess. The representation she brings to the role with her casting has been very inspiring to countless children across the world, as seen in viral clips of young fans reacting to Bailey's Ariel. For her part, Bailey feels very grateful to be in her position, as she recalls dreaming about becoming a Disney Princess in her own childhood, never expecting that it would actually one day happen. As she recently told Entertainment Tonight:

"It feels absolutely amazing to officially be a Disney Princess. I mean, I think that it's something that we all have just had in our dreams. You have daydreams of pretending to be a Cinderella princess, or someone like that, and you never think that it would actually happen, so I just am really grateful to be in this position.

The article contains some mild spoilers from the live-action The Little Mermaid.The Little Mermaid viewers are falling in love with the live-action depiction of the romance between Ariel (Halle Bailey) and Eric (Jonah Hauer-King). With Ariel's connection to the surface world hinging on her relationship with Eric, that romance has always been at the heart of the very concept of Disney's The Little Mermaid. While the remake changes Ariel's motivation when she urges freedom to explore the surface world, her romance with Eric also changed by adding a more charming friendship element to make their love story far more organic.

A major consensus on social media agrees that the live-action The Little Mermaid improved Ariel's relationship with Eric by adding depth to their dynamic. Even some Twitter users have called for an immediate sequel so that they can continue to see how their romance progresses beyond the remake. Check...

Disney's live-action remake of The Little Mermaid closes in on a $100 million opening weekend box office.

According to Variety, the movie has so far earned an impressive $96 million in the United States and is on track to bring in around $118 million by the end of Memorial Day weekend. According to Tony Chambers, Disney's head of distribution, the reboot's success is rooted in nostalgia to a substantial degree. "You ask a lot of women or men of my age and it's Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast that rank as their favorite animated movie," he said. "It's a story that takes them back to their respective childhoods and this movie is the perfect opportunity for a lot of people to pass that love on to the next generation."

Related: The Little Mermaid Improves on the Original in One Big Way

These earnings are in line with previous projections that The...

Disney's new take on The Little Mermaid has already proven to be a massive success upon its release, debuting to sky-high box office numbers and very strong audience scores. Fans have been largely loving Halle Bailey's take on Ariel, which reimagines the red-haired mermaid from the original animated film in live-action. With the film and its success firmly establishing Bailey's Ariel as the newest Disney Princess, fans now have a chance to meet the this incarnation of Ariel at Disney Park locations. A tweet shared by Scott Gustin of Nextar reveals a peek at one of the new Ariel performers meeting with fans at a Little Mermaid-themed location.

"Starting today, Ariel from the live-action story The Little Mermaid will be making special appearances at Walt Disney World Resort, Disneyland Resort and Disneyland Paris," Gustin says.

Starting today, Ariel from the live-action story “The Little Mermaid” will be...

Disney's remake of The Little Mermaid has washed ashore with its premiere in movie theaters, putting a spin on the original animated version by reimagining its story in live-action. Along with Halle Bailey as Ariel, the film stars Jonah Hauer-King in the role of Eric. Those familiar with the story will know that Eric is a human prince whom Ariel falls in love with after she saves him from drowning. While Hauer-King has made his mark in film with roles in movies like Old Boys and This Is the Night, Prince Eric may be his biggest role yet.

Portraying the live-action Eric certainly came with some pressure, as the actor had to find out how to transition the character from the world of animation to reality. Speaking about his casting with The Hollywood Reporter, Hauer-King addressed how he wanted to bring "three dimensionality" to the role while touching on the...

In Hans Christian Andersen's original tale of "The Little Mermaid," first published in 1837, the titular mermaid longs to swim to the surface and explore the world of humans after falling in love with a human man. She visits a sea witch who has a potion that can give her legs in exchange for her voice; she will become human but won't be able to speak. In Andersen's world, mermaids don't have souls and, when they die, transform into sea foam rather than ascending into heaven. 

In order to survive, the little mermaid will have to marry a human man before a certain amount of time elapses. It seems that the mermaid will not be successful in wooing the prince and is destined to become sea foam. At the last minute, the mermaid's sisters rally, giving their hair to the sea witch in exchange for a magical dagger. If...

From director Rob Marshall and screenwriter David Magee, Disney’s live-action reimagining of The Little Mermaid goes on an adventure with a curious young mermaid, as she explores the world beyond the sea and interacts with humans for the first time. While on land, Ariel (Halle Bailey), who traded her siren song for legs bestowed on her by the sea witch Ursula (Melissa McCarthy), gets to know Prince Eric (Jonah Hauer-King) and the two form a connection that just might be strong enough to bring the kingdoms of sea and land together.

Chicago – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com appears on “The Morning Mess” with Dan Baker on Wbgr-fm on May 25th, reviewing “The Little Mermaid,” Walt Disney Studios live action reboot. In theaters on May 26th.

Rating: 4.0/5.0

The under-the-sea mermaid princess Ariel (Halle Bailey) is curious about the non-ocean earth and its inhabitants, and gets her opportunity to infiltrate when human Prince Eric (Jonah Hauer-King) is in a shipwreck and she saves him from drowning. Her father King Triton (Javier Bardem) forbids her to follow up on the rescue, so the evil sea witch Ursula (Melissa McCarthy) helps her out by casting a spell that make Ariel human. The catch is she has three days to get the prince to kiss her, and Ursula has taken away her siren song voice. Luckily, she has Sebastian the Crab (voice of Daveed Diggs) and seagull Scuttle (Awkwafina), to help her get to that kiss.

Spoiler Alert: This story contains Spoilers for The Little Mermaid (2023)With Disney's live-action remake of The Little Mermaid on track to make a huge splash at the box office, there's a good chance the film could end up getting a sequel and/or a spinoff. In the film, Halle Bailey stars as Ariel, a new incarnation of the titular mermaid. Also starring in the film as the live-action versions of Ursula and King Triton are, respectively, Melissa McCarthy and Javier Bardem. To help promote the film, the two took part in a dual interview with The Hollywood Reporter where they spoke about their admiration for one another. They also addressed their hope in reuniting for a potential spinoff.

"He’s this very open, warm, creative person that can throw lightning bolts, which is not a King Triton pun," McCarthy said of her co-star. "When his energy is on, it’s...

One of the ways "The Little Mermaid" live-action improves on the original is the development of Prince Eric's character. In the animated film, Eric has a lot more personality than the previous princes in "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs," "Cinderella," and "Sleeping Beauty" — he actually has interests like sailing, playing the flute, and walking on the beach with his adorable sheepdog named Max. Grimsby, Eric's royal advisor, is desperate to find him a wife, but the prince would rather rough it up with his shipmates.

But in the latter half of 1989's "The Little Mermaid," Prince Eric makes his obsession with the girl who rescues him from a boat wreck his whole personality. Eric instantly falls in love with her beautiful voice and wants to marry her. His relationship with Ariel, who he believes is a shipwreck victim, is more of a distraction from holing himself up in the...

Warning: This post contains major spoilers for The Little Mermaid live-actionThe Little Mermaid finally got its own live-action adaptation, and the film’s ending offered some minor changes while also setting up what could come next. Directed by Rob Marshall from a screenplay by David Magee, The Little Mermaid is a star-making turn for Halle Bailey, who steps into the iconic role of Ariel.

The Little Mermaid ends with Ariel breaking the necklace used to trap her voice, but a battle between her and Ursula ensues after Triton takes Ariel’s place and vanishes due to Ursula’s spell. With the trident in the sea witch’s possession, she grows monstrous and in control of the sea, wreaking havoc on it and the surface world. That is, until Ariel runs her through with a ship’s bowsprit. Triton is restored, but Ariel and Eric are both sad because they think...

Fifty-two minutes longer, with fewer songs (if I've counted right), and four of them by Lin Manuel Miranda. No longer a U but a PG, the BBFC dropping the "very" that the original had on its "mild threat" in what will be referred to as a "live-action" remake. Inverted commas on that because, as with Avatar: The Way Of Water, the presence of human faces in some places makes this no less an act of animation than anything made solely of ink on paper.

Though ink, paper, and accounting seem to inform most of this. You might think it cynical to think this cynical, but the creative in this industry does include the economics. Director Rob Marshall is best known for adaptations, including musicals, and also helmed Pirates Of The Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, a sequel based (very loosely) on a book. David Magee worked with Marshall on Mary Poppins Returns.

From director Rob Marshall and screenwriter David Magee, Disney’s live-action reimagining of The Little Mermaid goes on an adventure with a curious young mermaid, as she explores the world beyond the sea and interacts with humans for the first time. While on land, Ariel (Halle Bailey), who traded her siren song for legs bestowed on her by the sea witch Ursula (Melissa McCarthy), gets to know Prince Eric (Jonah Hauer-King) and the two form a connection that just might be strong enough to bring the kingdoms of sea and land together.

What did the reviews of A Man Called Otto say about the dark comedy starring Tom Hanks? The movie's title character is a lovable curmudgeon who is left feeling pessimistic and suicidal following the death of his wife. As he plots to take his own life, Otto’s worldview is turned around when a young family moves into his neighborhood. A Man Called Otto is a movie adaptation of Fredrik Backman’s bestselling 2012 novel A Man Called Ove and an English-language remake of the 2015 Swedish film version with the same title as the book.

A Man Called Otto was helmed by Marc Forster, the director of Quantum of Solace and World War Z, and scripted by Oscar-nominated screenwriter David Magee, best known for Finding Neverland and Life of Pi. At a time when most big-screen comedies bomb at the box office, Hanks proved he still has the star power to...

The success of Disney’s live action remake strategy will reportedly continue courtesy of The Little Mermaid, which is currently tracking to make a splash at the box office during its opening weekend. Set for release over Memorial Day weekend, the latest live action adaptation of a Disney animated classic is projected to rake in $100 million from 4,300 North American theaters across its first three days of release, followed by another $120-125 million come Monday (according to Variety).

This would make The Little Mermaid one of the most successful live action remakes, with the likes of The Lion King bringing in $191 million over its debut weekend, Aladdin garnering $91 million, and Beauty and the Beast launching with $174 million. All three of these movies then went on to gross over $1 billion worldwide, and thus suggesting that The Little Mermaid could well do the same.

The Little Mermaid brings the tale of Ariel, the...

[Editor’s note: The following interview contains some spoilers for “The Little Mermaid.”]

When “The Little Mermaid” filmmaker Rob Marshall thinks about his remake of the beloved 1989 Disney animated original, he’s clear: It is its own thing.

“It’s so funny how people hold onto things,” Marshall said in a recent interview with IndieWire. “They don’t realize that this is a different genre. You have to make it work as a live-action [film] as if there were never an animated film. It’s your chance to do things that work for the story. It’s all about story. It’s like taking a beautiful opera, a beautiful play, and doing it again. You look at it through a new lens. It’s not 1989, it’s 2023, so what can we bring to it and still hold on to the most important things that really still work, but then kind of reimagine it?”

For Marshall’s ambitious live-action take on the story — one that...

The Little Mermaid is the latest live-action remake of a Disney animated classic. This new version is directed by Rob Marshall, whose credits include the Academy Award-winning Chicago and recently Disney's Mary Poppins Returns, with a script by David Magee, who is a two-time Oscar-nominated screenwriter for Finding Neverland and Life of Pi. With music by original songwriter Alan Menkin and popular musician Lin-Manuel Miranda, the 2023 Little Mermaid sticks rather closely to the Disney classic. The goal here is obviously to recapture the original's magic, as the creative team seems to have a genuine love for it, leaving this remake as a relatively unambitious but still entertaining movie.

1989's The Little Mermaid was a watershed moment in the history of Disney. It was a return to form for the company and ushered in The Disney Renaissance. Many of the signature elements from the Disney Renaissance were laid out in that film,...

For all of the spurious arguments over authenticity or criticisms about Halle Bailey’s casting as Ariel, Rob Marshall’s The Little Mermaid is a remarkably safe—and remarkably bland—live-action adaptation of Ron Clements and John Musker’s 1989 animated original. Beyond Lin-Manuel Miranda’s newly written music, including a cringe-worthy rap song performed by Scuttle (Awkwafina) and Sebastian (Daveed Diggs), this Little Mermaid feels more or less like two-hour-plus cosplay with the texture and gravitas of a Disneyland sideshow.

The story itself largely remains unchanged. Ariel (Halle Bailey) is the youngest of five daughters of the widowed King Triton (Javier Bardem). As the king desperately tries to keep Ariel obedient and away from the humans whom he blames for his beloved wife’s death, the precocious mermaid only grows more enamored and intrigued by human behavior and their affects.

One night, Ariel’s curiosity gets the best of her...

Halle Bailey in The Little Mermaid Photo: Disney Another day, another Disney remake. The Mouse House’s decade-long trend of realizing their animated canon in live action—or whatever The Lion King was—has been commented upon ad nauseum, criticized for their revisionism of stories that didn’t need revising...

Disney’s attempts to reinvent their animated classics as live action versions has proven to be largely a smart boxoffice play, but one with a mixed creative result. Certainly some were huge hits like Bill Condon’s Beauty And The Beast and Guy Ritchie’s less enchanting Aladdin. Others effectively created photo-real animals in The Lion King and The Jungle Book. Older Disney staples have gotten the treatment by focusing on the villains in Cruella and Maleficent and their sequels, even an unfortunate Disney + attempt on the untouchable (if you ask me) Lady And The Tramp. But even approaching an animated masterpiece, 1989’s The Little Mermaid and essentially trying to make a splashy (sorry) big screen live action musical that works above and under the water seems dicey on paper. So what do you do? Bring in Rob Marshall, and as it turns out that is all the new live action The Little Mermaid needed.

Halle Bailey in The Little MermaidPhoto: Disney

Another day, another Disney remake. The Mouse House’s decade-long trend of realizing their animated canon in live action—or whatever The Lion King was—has been commented upon ad nauseum, criticized for their revisionism of stories that didn’t need revising and...

The newest Disney movie to be reimagined in live-action is The Little Mermaid, and we are days away from its release. Directed by Rob Marshall, the film introduces Halle Bailey as the live-action incarnation of Ariel, a mermaid who dreams of what life would be if she were to live with humans on land. She sings about that fantasy in the iconic song "Part of Your World," which was showcased in the very first teaser for the film that also provided our first look at Bailey in action as Ariel.

It's been reported how certain changes have been made to the lyrics of some songs to make them potentially less offensive for today's filmgoers. Beyond that, the "Part of Your World" song is also presented a bit differently than how it was in the animated movie. Marshall spoke about these changes in a new interview with SFX Magazine (per TheDirect...