The upcoming live action version of The Little Mermaid has found its star in Chloë Grace Moretz, who will light up the screen in what promises to be a darker take than the Disney animated version, closer in tone to the original fairy tale.
Fairy tales are almost always more fucked-up than their Disney-ified versions, and The Little Mermaid is no exception, with the title character experiencing the pain of sharp knives when she learns to walk, then jumping off a ship and dissolving into sea foam at the end.
It’s unclear just how closely this new version will stick to the Hans Christian Andersen original, although Richard ‘Love Actually’ Curtis is directing, so the film may find a way to shoehorn in some kind of happy ending.
When the live action Little Mermaid was originally announced, Sofia Coppola was set to direct, but eventually dropped out, leaving us to imagine what her ethereal, teen angst-heavy version would have been like.
Rumour has it that Moretz is one of the reasons Coppola dropped out, with sources close to the film (gotta love ’em) claiming that the director was reluctant to cast a big-name star in the lead role.
Moretz is currently filming Neighbours 2: Sorority Rising alongside Seth Rogen, Zac Efron and Rose Byrne, and will presumably start The Little Mermaid next.
Sofia Coppola’s Bill Murray Christmas special, A Very Murray Christmas, is out on Netflix later this year.
via Variety
Photo: Michael Loccisano via Getty Images
Photo: Michael Loccisano via Getty Images
