Filmmaker Rob Marshall is no stranger to musicals after helming movies like Into The Woods and Mary Poppins Returns, but The Little Mermaid is a movie that presents a whole new set of challenges.
Disney's upcoming live-action adaptation of the 1989 animated classic will literally take us under the sea, and Marshall tells Empire (via Toonado.com) that both the concept and song left him asking a big question before he could start work on the movie.
"How do you begin creating an underwater musical?" he ponders. "It’s never been done before. That fear ignited something in me. We introduce the singing underwater. It’s very delicate, how you introduce song."
"It’s in this surreal world. We open the film above water, and then we go into this other world, and you accept those things immediately."
As for "Under The Sea" itself, Marshall admits that it's "the most complicated musical number I’ve ever done."
He also confirmed that among Lin-Manuel Miranda and Alan Menken's new songs is "Wild Uncharted Waters," a musical number of Prince Eric. Actor Jonah Hauer-King says, "It’s a call-out to the girl that saved him. They’re both looking for adventure, to other worlds."
Some new stills from The Little Mermaid have also been released to accompany these comments showcasing both Hauer-King's character and Halle Bailey's Ariel.
The Little Mermaid opens in theaters on May 26, 2023.