May 24th, 2011
10:45 AM ET
'The Little Mermaid' to get a dark remakeThe Little Mermaid is returning to the big screen and this time around, things will get a bit turbulent under the sea. According to the Hollywood Reporter, actor Tobey Maguire is producing a dark version of the Hans Christian Andersen story based on Carolyn Turgeon's book "Mermaid: A Twist on the Classic Tale." The movie, to be scripted by "Country Strong" filmmaker Shana Feste, will tell the story of Margrethe, a princess who schemes to marry Prince Christophe in order to unite their warring kingdoms and save her ravaged people. The problem? Christophe has already fallen for Princess Lenia, a mermaid who has sacrificed her voice, the sea and her health to be with him. While Christophe is unaware that Lenia is a mermaid, Margrethe makes it her mission to send the girl back to the sea. A release date and cast have not yet been announced for the movie. Stay tuned! Who would you like to see as the Little Mermaid? Tell us in a comment below.
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plus tim burton and disney should pair up for this as well!!!!!!
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The mermaid should be called mia!
I think that the mermaid should be alicia keys as she has a beautiful voice and I think it would be amazing if she had a different ethnicity (sorry wasn't sure how to describe the ethnicity) but she is really pretty and would make a great mermaid:)<3
I like the porn version better.....Ariel takes on 50 Black guys for creampie after creampie.
well i personally think THAT THIS WILL BE AN FACKING AWSOME MOVIE!!!!!!!! Tim Burton should direct. AND GEMMA WARD SHOULD BE THE MERMAID OR I WOULD GO WITH SAORISE RONAN AS THE MERMAID SHE LOOKS LIKE ONE OR THEY CHOULD DO A CASTING FOR NORWEIGIAN EUROPEAN GIRLS TO PLAY LENIAA THE MERMAID!!! for margreth i think they should go with dark hair white skin girl like kristen stewart type and for chritophe an english hottie or hayden chritensen!!! this movie should have high fashion costumes like medieval modern really alexander mcqueen slash jean paul gaultiere tytype really fantasy and awsome makeup also the scenery has to be awsome glow in the dark in norway or denmark this has to be an awsomeeeee movie!!
i think megan fox would be great but i dont know if she sings lol! taylor swift would be great bc shes young and viberbrant on young pop/country! love to see her put to the test! plus would get alot of veiwers at the box office!
here's my opinion no old people not angelina, not scarlette not cameron
nobody in their 40's sheesh those be some old princess yeesh
no old actor's
here's my opinion
christopher – zac efron or hayden christian
lenia – amanda seyfried or emma stone
margrethe – emma watson or ashely tisdale
seawitch – kristen stewart
Selena Gomez for the mermaid.
another Disney star or someone really pretty to play the prince guy(drew Seely)
evil witch ummm jane lynch or natalie portman
Tim Burton should direct.
Emma stone!!
Ariana Grande should be the little mermaid(:
Paris Hilton should play the little mermaid due to her having the most perfect mermaid body
If done well, this could turn out to be a great movie. Also, it might motivate other directors to re-make other princess stories into more adult-like movies (Ever After was a good Cinderella re-make). This would ROCK!
Deborah Ann Woll... if we are looking for a ginger... otherwise, Bryce Dallas Howard would be awesome, but a little obvious. Just no matter what, do not put Kristen Stewart or Selena Gomez near this, as a matter of fact, don't even tell them about it!
Sorry Nunya, Disney's movies are fairy tales of fairy tales which either don't end happily or have blood and gore. I think they were life lessons of the time period.
Isla Fisher as the Mermaid
It will be nice to see a fairy tale closer to its true "darkside". The closest thing I've ever seen is "Into the Woods" when Cinderella is show in its full gory splendor.
They should NOT remake the awesome Disney movie!!! If they remake this one, whats next? Remaking Disneys Peter Pan? Beauty and the Beast? The Jungle Book??? GEEZ!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
It really saddens me to see how many people in here actually think that Disney is creating something new and not just stealing old fairy tales and changing the ending.
Little Red riding hood – French, there is no grandmother or wood cutter saving her, she dies
The little mermaid – Danish, the mermaid drowns and is sent into punishment for 300 years, as foam.
Snow white – Grimm, No kiss that wake her, the queen is tortured to death, and necrophilea (since its grimm)
Sleeping beauty – Grimm again, and again not a kiss, but being raped while dead wake her.
Cinderella – Strabo and Grimm, fairly similar, but far more bloody.
And I could go on.. amazed that these are not studied in school anymore or at all in US.
RIGHT?!?! And in the original Little Mermaid, didn't she get her tounge chopped off? I remember Cinderella's step mother made her daughters chop off their toes and heals to try and fit into the glass slipper. And the queen in Snow White had to like dance in red hot poker shoes until she died, or something, right? I would love to see the original stories of these put into a movie! Snow White and The Huntsman, SUCKED!! I only went to see it because I love Charlize Theron! But her death was anti climatic! And it was like a freakin lord of the rings movie!
I think that this could be an excellent movie! My choice for the Mermaid would be Amy Adams. She's beautiful, she can act, and she has the voice!
what about mila kunis...spell check the name lol
I'd see it.
If Christina Hendricks plays the mermaid I`ll go see it twice!
Hey BeckFastPaws, Disney DID do a version of Romeo and Juliet, as well as Hamlet! The Lion King was their delving into Shakespeare by making the original film their version of Hamlet, and the sequel (the one with Simba's daughter, Kiara) is their version of Romeo and Juliet. And yes, happy ending, the only people who die are the villians.
But anyhew, I think Bryce Dallas Howard would be the perfect mermaid! ya, I know, she was kind of one in Lady In The Water, but she just has that aire about her that makes you believe 24/7 she HAS to be some mystical being from the sea.
mmmmm Megan Fox in a bikini top and a tail. Perfect mermaid
Only if she can keep her mouth shut !
The ideal musical score for this movie has already been written, in 1903, by the composer Alexander Zemlinsky, in his lush orchestral tone-poem Die Seejanfrau-"The Mermaid". This film would definitely be served well to draw from it.
I know shes not an actress but.. LADY GAGA! I think she would make a good mermaid, with all the funky clothes she wears, she such a fantasy in herself that woman, so I could imagine her playing a fantasy role as this
There is really no other choice... Betty White!!!
Mary Elizabeth Winstead as the girl trying to save her kingdom. Dakota Fanning as the speechless mermaid (I bet she'd still steal her scenes). Aaron Johnson (or Dev Patel) as the prince.
Rose Hunting Whiteley- But we will see if she can act first in transformer but she looks like a mermaid to me
Well, it's gotta be a broad with a nice rack throughout the film. None of this "my hair is always on my b00bs" stuff.
amy adams, plz
The girl that played the mermaid in the new Pirates movie.....that would be interesting since the mermaids in that movie were dark anyway and she did an excellent job.
Bryce Dallas Howard? As the little Mermaid??? What are you on Amanda Seyfried more like...
Bill Murray!
Jenna Jameson
I think there should be a Disney version of "Pulp Fiction".
Hi my name is Kaylee and I think Rachel Mcadams needs to be the mermaid, she has a mermaid face, she can pull off red hair which isnt common ....and is a great actress. She would be 100% perfect for this movie. So many would go just to see her. I hope to hear that she atleast trys out for the part.
Michelle tratchenberg
http://wprobottest.co.cc
Oh my gosh I really want to see this!!
this gonna suck because Disney Pixar created the mermaid She isn't supposed to be EMO THIS IS GONNA SUCK POOR LITTLE KIDS WILL BE AFRAID OF THE MERMAID!!!!
Disney adapted the Hans Christian Anderson story 6 years before Pixar ever released a film. In the original story, the Little Mermaid fails, dissolves into the ocean, and has to serve 300 years in order to earn a soul. Every time a child misbehaves, she cries, and every tear adds a year to her service. But before any of that happens, the prince makes her dance almost constantly, even though her new legs cause her terrible pain, the prince tells her that he won't betray her and then does when he thinks some other girl is the one who rescued him... I could go on, but trust me, behind every Disney story there is a terrible (as in the Old Testament meaning of the word) story out of copyright somewhere.
Mila Kunis!!Mila Kunis!!Mila Kunis!!Mila Kunis!!Mila Kunis!!Mila Kunis!!Mila Kunis!!Mila Kunis!!Mila Kunis!!Mila Kunis!!Mila Kunis!!Mila Kunis!!Mila Kunis!!Mila Kunis!!Mila Kunis!!Mila Kunis!!Mila Kunis!!Mila Kunis!!Mila Kunis!!Mila Kunis!!Mila Kunis!!Mila Kunis!!Mila Kunis!!Mila Kunis!!
*Like!
Bryce Dallas Howard
I agree with everyone here that the original story should be made into a film. The original story was nothing like the Disney version and it was already a little dark. No need for a "twisted" version. It's unlikely I'll see it.
Allisa Milano... her face was the inspiration for the disney animated Ariel... she would be awesome in a darker version of that role
Felicia Day gets my vote!
gemma arterton!!
I would like to see Felicia Day as the little murmaid.
1) Raquel Castro (Jersey Girl's Gerti) would make a a beautiful mermaid.
2) Taylor Swift
3) Selena Gomez could be a serious mermaid.
4) Brittany Martinez (facebook–beautiful eyes....)
This is NOT The Little Mermaid. It is a completely different movie where the mermaid isn't even the lead character. As we learned from Pirates of the Caribbean, mermaids are violent and dangerous, more like vampires. I hope this prince figures that out before it's too late.
Its funny everyone has said oh Disney would never do a dark.....they turn everything into fairy tale ever afters...which yes they have happy endings but theres a running theme of parents killed off parents...theres not one Disney princess who has both parents......even Bambi's mom got capped!
Wrong!!! Rapunzel (from Tangled) has both parents.
Anne Hathaway has a very little mermaid look
Alexis Biedel would be perfect
This is going to suck all kinds of balls.
this would be a great story for Tim Burton to do..
Personally, I love the Disney film, the original story and the more accurate anime from the 1970s. However, this sounds a bit far fetched- because in the original story, the girl the prince marries is not set against the mermaid, and neither is the sea witch.
Emma Stone, Frances Bean Cobain, the new girl from Alice in Wonderland, or Dianna Agron. Is it going to have singing? I hope it has some singing. If so they should go w Leah Michelle. I also hope that they stay away from the generic lovelies like Alba... Find somebody a bit newer that can give us something we havent seen before! Give us someone thats not already everywhere in the feature film industry! POR FAVOR!! lol
nooo nooo kate winslet...she's beautiful. Id most deff. see this if she was in it:)
OMG BETTY WHITE WOULD BE THE BEST MERMAID. SHE MUST DO IT!
BETTY WHITE
BETTY WHITE
BETTY WHITE
You should start a facebook page!
Not sure about the little mermaid, but I think Tim Burton should be the director!!! ...and maybe Johnny Depp as the prince?
How about you just shoot me know. Johnny Depp and Tim Burton? They can ruin any movie in a minute. Try coming up with an original thought for a change or is your tiny little brain too slow to do that?
Definitely Evan Rachel Wood as the mermaid. She's gothic enough to play the role.
This I'm excited to see. Honestly, TLM was one of my favorite Disney tales going up, but it is not what it was supposed to be. I do not in the least bit consider this a "remake" knowing what disney does to all its tales, whether they are Grimm tales (yes, I know they didn't write them and just compiled them, but they gained them noteriety) or any others. I'm interested in getting this book, too, even though it may not be the original. It sounds fascinating.
Rose McGowan is perfect. Her pale skin and her red hair (if she still has it) if not she looks amazing with red hair so she'd be perfect for the character.
Okay, let's get more realistic. Elle Fanning would be the idea Little Mermaid. Jessica Alba would be idea for the the other girl's part.
why didn't Hines get a blog after he WON DWTS?? You all have been shoving it down out throats all season but he doesn't get ANY acknowlegdment when he won?? There would have been 3 stories in Kirstie had won. Why the snub??
Bryce Dallas Howard
Felicia Day
Felicia Day
Felicia Day
Emily Browning – great face and she can sing...also, love the idea of a dark Little Mermaid – it was how the original was meant to be, as with many other old children's fairy tales...never liked Disney 'dress-up'
That Guidance Counselor from GLEE with the big Eyes.
Leah MIchelle has the voice? Who says there is going to be singing?
How about Emma Stone?
Duh! Daryl Hannah!!!!
I'd vote for Evan Rachel Wood or Rose McGowan.
RACHEL MCADAMS (:
Lea Michelle from Glee. She has the voice
Lady Gaga
Dark is the original story of The Little Mermaid (the first one I read as a kid) where the prince didn't love her, and given the choice between killing the prince or herself, she chose death. Thanks to Disney, most little girls grow up with the fairytale–it's better anyway.
I don't think it's better that girls get the sanitized version of fairy tales. The sadness and fear, repercussions and disappointment that were incorporated into the original tales were instructive for children. They reflect real life. Besides, kids love a bit of the dark side int heir stories.
As for this remake, I would be much more interested if Tim Burton had a hand in it. The female lead has to be a fragile, pale, young woman with translucent skin, but i wouldn't go with the standard watery blonde. How about Eva Green? Or Emily Blunt? Both of these women have the ability to look slightly unwell-yet-beutiful in that Victorian vapors kind of way. Please, please don't choose Natalie Portman.
Hannah Fraser I think would be excellent! Just look her up.
disney sucks i always prefered nickelodeon.disney guys are g@y.ex. jonas brothers.the good thing bout nick is they arent so crazy bout gettin theier characters faces on a cheap crappy shirts.they mite do it but not very much.nick also gots lots of other channels.& best of nick is 1 in childerns programs.wat happended to older disney?all disney is bout now is bein everywhere which is annoyin.
You really need to learn how to write a more educated answer....and also spell. Idiot.
Rachel McAdams.... she's got the cuteness to be a mermaid!
She'll be an expert in the martial arts, carry two .45cal autos and sleep with everything that walks or swims in order to get her way. Now that's good movie making!
anyone but kstew....anyone!
LOL!!! yeah! anyone
Keep them remakes rolling I guess
How is it a "dark" remake when the fairy tale itself is dark? Disney and children's storybooks are the reason it is known as a cute little fairytale with singining/dancing fish and "true love" conquering evil.
The real story isn't even about "true love"! The mermaid has to get a human prince to fall in love with her so that she can gain a human soul. Manipulation isn't something disney wants to teach to little kids.
1-Jessica Biel
2-Anna Frasier (she is actually a "real"mermaid model)
3-Sarah Paxton (with Daryll Hanna as her mom, well, if she still looks normally aging, not all botox-inflated and deformed)
4-Jessica Alba
5-Queen latifa or Angelina Jolie as the witch
6-Amanda Siegfried
7-have no idea! LOL
Foam / sea foam..w tf..lol.
osama bin laden since he is already swimming with the fishys
oprah she aint doing s*#t anymore
Yes, Oprah only runs an entire Television Network! I'll bet she has LOTS of free time! ???
WHAT ABOUT SUSAN BOYLE. THATS HOT
Dakota Fanning
MARIO LOPEZ WOULD MAKE A GREAT MERMAID I'D EAT THAT FISH
...still love Darryl Hannah from the "Splash" era!
Alyssa Milano's face was used a a basis for Ariel, the cartoon. I think she's a great choice to be the mermaid!
Too old.
Points that many seem to be missing: 1) The Little Mermaid was originally written by Hans Christian Andersen – not Disney, and not the brothers Grimm (who actually *collected* their fairy tales from spoken tradition.)
2) The original ending was not happy: The mermaid was told she could get her tail back if she stabbed the prince in the heart and let his blood wash over her feet before dawn. If she didn't, she would dissolve into sea foam.
3) Disney is notorious for messing with classics. I challenge the person who said that Disney movies should never be remade or rewritten to read the original Hunchback of Notre Dame.
The Hunchback of Notre Dame was very dark...sad..I have yet to see a movie that even shows the origional ending
here, here!
Gorsh. I probably shouldnt take my kids to see it.
too bad they don't make the actual story Anderson wrote, it was dark already – and telling it from the POV of the human princess isn't at all dark, her intention and motivation is actually pretty pure
http://ntrygg.wordpress.com
Didn't the memaid die in the origional anyway? Turn into foam or whatnot? Of course Disney would never make that into the movie...
She turned into what I think is some kind of Angel creature and floats around with a bunch of other spirits. It's rather depressing actually.
Yes, she turned into sea foam and her spirit floats around waiting for enough children to be good little boys and girls... then she will be able to go to heaven. Seriously, that's how it ends. In the Hans Christian Andersen setting, mermaids can't go to heaven because they don't have human souls... but there's apparently a loophole if enough kids are good Christians and obey their parents.
It's the "moral of the story" at the end. Strange, but rather interesting.
If anyone has ever read the true story not a-la-Disney the story ends tragically. The mermaid turns into sea foam. It would be cool of the fairytale finally ends with it's Grimm original ending.
It would be even better with a Hans Christian Anderson fairy tale ending, since he wrote the original, not the brothers Grimm. Just saying.
Not to mention that the only reason the mermaid in the original HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSEN was to get human soul.
Yes, exactly! I would LOVE to see a movie that stays true to the original story. The anime version was the first one I saw and was kind of disappointed to the approach Disney took...but, it's Disney so they gotta be all positive and stuff.
Under the CNN blog/there'll be no realization/just a trolling sensation/under the CNN blogggg
Disney Movies should never be remade, or rewritten.
You do realize that "The Little Mermaid" is not an original Disney story, right? And that nearly every Disney film is a remake of some other story...?
Disney's animated film version from 1989 was at the least, the SEVENTH dramatic version including two American television versions...so, I think the whole remake argument is a moot point. Just saying.
Hey Bigg Steve, the original story is by Hans Christian Anderson, not the Brothers Grimm.
...and Disney skipped some of the darker elements, like each step on her newfound feet being like a step on razors. A lot of what the real story is about is counting the cost. Sounds like this might be closer to the original.
Yeah, but "The Little Mermaid" isn't a Brother's Grimm story. It was written by danish author Hans Christian Andersen.
Not to mention....the HCA original didn't have a happy ending.....not for the mermaid anyway.
i totallly agree with you. they should just be left alone
Does everyone get that Disney's The Little Mermaid is a) NOT the original, and b) not remotely accurate to the real story? It's a Disney adaptation and does what a Disney adaptation should do (make it all neat and pretty and nice). But it is a VERY dark story. And there is nothing about the mermaid being named "Ariel" OR having red hair – that's all Disney invention. I personally hope this one retains NOTHING from the Disney version. It also doesn't sound like the original story, which is heartbreakingly sad actually, but we'll see if it can stand on its own merits.
Because Disney always creates new and original material, right? And of course, they always keep true to the story.
I'm still waiting for a Disney version of Romeo and Juliet, with that lovely wedding scene at the end.
Evan Rachel Wood would be perfect
That's funny – I thought of her too but I thought of her for the role of Margrethe, the scheming one rather than Lenia, the good one. I guess its from her role in True Blood but I always imagine her in the role of some sort of scheming and aloof royal. Although, I am sure they will not portray Margrethe as all bad – after all, she's just trying to save her people.
Disclaimer – I have not read the book by Carolyn Turgeon.
I think so too.. She would be great. That or the girl who play in White Oleander.
This will suck!
Rose McGowen would rock!
Nooooo. Rose McGowen from 10 years ago would be excellent. Have you see her now? Ms plastic surgery? Saw her on an episode of law and order or some sort of procedural cop drama and she looked like a scary plasticized woman. Which is a shame because she WAS beautiful
Scarlett Johanssen; loved her as Black Widow in Iron Man 2.
come on people, we all know it"s going to be Bryce Dallas Howard. We all know she can play the role right. It'll be interesting to see
Sasha... classless and uninformed.
In 2007 McGowen was involved in a car accident where she was cut very badly under her eyes, the collision forced her eyeglasses into her face, lacerating the area just below the eyeball. She thought she was OK until she felt her face, and could feel flaps of skin in her hands.
Stay classy Sasha – if you're ever in a car accident, I hope that you just let your face heal with two flaps of skin hanging from below your eyes.
What's the girl's name that played on "HEROS" that couldn't get hurt? She should play "The Little Mermaid".
I KNOW!! Rose McGowen would so rock! I actually thought of her when I saw the picture.
Scarlett Johansson would play an amazing mermaid. She has that trusting sweet face
Fascinating idea. But hey, how about a movie be made based upon the actual story? You know, where the mermaid looses to the other girl and turns into foam? I do not recall for a moment any movies being based upon the real story. But, whatever, if the story is intelligent enough, compelling, has decent acting, and balances the action with the story and drama, then it might be worth seeing.
hopefully they pick great actors to play one of the best princess stories
Also, i think Kristin kreuk would play an amazing mermaid. She has a very classic soft fragile heavenly beauty to her. I would love to see her play it.
Everyone will hate me for this but Lea Michele. I think someone should give her a chance to play a darker role...I bet she could do it.
UM, Helllllooooo, Hans Christian Anderson's original tale was dark. There was no happy ending. Disney changed the tale.
LMAO! I just spit my diet coke out..
Natalie portman or rachel mcadams. And honesltly. since I miss her already: haley reinhart
Just sayin!
@BFD–
I was just about to say that. The Little Mermaid in the REAL tale, not Disney's fabricated happy ending thing, DIED. She turns into seafoam because she won't kill the prince.