The Little Mermaid (Live-Action)

[Disney Duster]

Maybe you don't like the photorealistic CGI, but a stylized cartoonish looking crab or fish or other animal would clash horribly with the live-action people and look absolutely horrendous! Disney please do the CGI you have been, just with better expressions!

[UmbrellaFish]

I’m not saying these characters should look like their CGI counterparts in Philharmagic—which is a literal translation from traditional animation to CGI and looks horrible. I expect that live action Flounder will have visible scales and Sebastian’s anatomy may be changed so he looks and moves more like an actual crab. The problem is that there are no real-world crabs or fish that look like Sebastian or Flounder. And this is because their designs are informed by the need to anthropomorphize them to effectively communicate with Ariel and the audience. Sebastian has enormous eyes and a pair of lips that he uses to communicate his ideas and color his emotions— real crabs don’t have these tools because they don’t need them. If Ariel is taking advice from a faceless crab for 2 hours in this remake, the only benefit I see coming from such a design is that it makes her decision to leave an ocean filled with creepy, talking, dead eyed fish much easier to understand.

Also I have to say as a huge Mary Poppins fan that a world of stylized animated animals does not necessarily have to clash with live action actors...

[JeanGreyForever]

Disney audition David Corenswet so at least you can say you auditioned David Corenswet.

He’s a newcomer from Netflix’s The Politician and he’s gorgeous and a traditional Prince Eric type.

He was also incredibly bland in that show, although some people might argue that makes him a better fit for Eric then.

[UmbrellaFish]

Oh I liked him a lot in the show and most reactions to the show I’ve seen seem to have enjoyed his performance as well. He had a classic movie star quality and proved memorable despite having little to do in the script. I’m not advocating he be cast but certainly he’s an attractive dark haired 20-something with a credit in a streaming show for teens and young adults so he appears to fit within the demographic of men Disney’s auditioning. Expect the tweet from Skyler Shuler any day now.

[JeanGreyForever]

Oh I liked him a lot in the show and most reactions to the show I’ve seen seem to have enjoyed his performance as well. He had a classic movie star quality and proved memorable despite having little to do in the script. I’m not advocating he be cast but certainly he’s an attractive dark haired 20-something with a credit in a streaming show for teens and young adults so he appears to fit within the demographic of men Disney’s auditioning. Expect the tweet from Skyler Shuler any day now.

Oh wow, I didn't realize his performance was so applauded. I kept getting annoyed everytime he would show up and I'm hoping they keep his presence to a minimum in Season 2. For me, he was the weakest link in the show, because I enjoyed pretty much every other character.

He does look the part though and I wouldn't be surprised if he can sing (if he didn't already because I might have glossed over that).

[Disney Duster]

Oh, well even with your good points UmbrellaFish, we disagree. As for the live-action with cartoon characters thing, it clashes if you are trying to believe they are of the same, real world.

[DisneyFan97]

Scuttle, Flounder, and probably the rest of the animals will speak so I would bet a lot of money on Flotsam and Jetsam speaking.

That makes me really happy !!!

I don't want them to end up like fellow villain sidekick Jago did in Guy Richie’s Aladdin !

[UmbrellaFish]

Daveed Diggs in Talks for Sebastian

https://variety.com/2019/film/news/dave ... 203293889/

Oooh... good choice.

[nomad2010]

Daveed Diggs in Talks for Sebastian

https://variety.com/2019/film/news/dave ... uXWmBeEMRg

Oooh... good choice.

I love this. I was hoping for Burgess, but he can also be too over the top, and Diggs is so charming and fun. I think they nailed it with him.

[JeanGreyForever]

I was hoping for Burgess too but I also like Daveed Diggs a lot so I'd be fine with either one.

[Disney's Divinity]

I don't know him. He played one of the hedgehogs in Ferdinand, but I can't recall much about those characters. I see he was in Hamilton though, which makes it more apparent Miranda is calling all the shots with this film.

[D82]

I see he was in Hamilton though, which makes it more apparent Miranda is calling all the shots with this film.

That's the first thing I thought too when I heard the news. I don't know him either, but it seems people like him so it might be a good choice. We'll see.

EDIT: I've just seen on Wikipedia that he was in Wonder, a film that I've seen (and really liked), but I don't remember his character there much, probably because he just had a small role in that movie.

[disneyprincess11]

One of my first choices for Sebastian. Him and Tituss. YES!

[Sotiris]

I see he was in Hamilton though, which makes it more apparent Miranda is calling all the shots with this film.

That's quite evident by now. I've seen him in Black-ish. I don't think he's right for the role. Sebastian is supposed to be older and wiser with a more bass voice. He has a different type of energy and temperament than what we associate with Sebastian. I thought they would cast someone of Jamaican descent this time around. I heard that people from the Carribean find it offensive when non-Carribeans mimic their accent. Isn't Disney supposed to be more mindful of that sort of thing these days?

[Farerb]

He is supposed to be in Soul too.

[Mmmadelon]

Oh I would love Daveed Diggs! He was amazing in Hamilton (haven't seen it, only listened to the album, but voice-wise I thought he was great).

[estefan]

So all of the assumptions that Lin-Manuel Miranda was some egomaniac who would obviously cast himself as Sebastian turned out to be...just an assumption.

Anyway, I think Daveed Diggs is an excellent choice. He's become quite the in-demand actor and has popped up in a bunch of television series and movies lately. In addition to the roles already mentioned above, I also saw him in a few episodes of Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt and he was fantastic in the independent film Blindspotting (which he also co-wrote). So it doesn't surprise me that the Little Mermaid team would consider him. Diggs has the right energy and enthusiasm for the role.

I see he also wrote and performed a song for Zootopia, so this isn't his first stint with Disney, either.

I think the cast for this movie has been coming together quite nicely. I have liked all of the choices they have gone with so far.

[Sotiris]

So all of the assumptions that Lin-Manuel Miranda was some egomaniac who would obviously cast himself as Sebastian turned out to be...just an assumption.

I'm not sure if this little dig is directed at me but I never claimed he'll cast himself as Sebastian. Here's what I said about the matter not so long ago. Anyway, casting his friend in the role is not exactly ethical either. Just another example of cronyism in Hollywood.

Personally, I doubt he'll cast himself as Sebastian because a) he's socially aware and knows there'll be backlash if a Black character is portrayed by a Latino even if that character is a crab and b) he would want an on-screen role and not just a voice acting gig. Grimsby is more likely or a new character.

Source: viewtopic.php?p=722172#p722172

[JeanGreyForever]

So all of the assumptions that Lin-Manuel Miranda was some egomaniac who would obviously cast himself as Sebastian turned out to be...just an assumption.

I'm not sure if this little dig is directed at me but I never claimed he'll cast himself as Sebastian. Here's what I said about the matter not so long ago. Anyway, casting his friend in the role is not exactly ethical either. Just another example of cronyism in Hollywood.

You might not have said it but there have been plenty of posters who did voice that concern. And why do you assume that he just cast his friend in the role just like that? Maybe his friend was cast because he was legitimately considered the best actor for the role, not because of any prior relationship. I'm sure Miranda has had an influence on the casting but I also doubt that Disney has given him free reign to pick every role all on his own.

[Disney's Divinity]

So all of the assumptions that Lin-Manuel Miranda was some egomaniac who would obviously cast himself as Sebastian turned out to be...just an assumption.

I'm not sure if this little dig is directed at me but I never claimed he'll cast himself as Sebastian. Here's what I said about the matter not so long ago. Anyway, casting his friend in the role is not exactly ethical either. Just another example of cronyism in Hollywood.

No, that dig was aimed at me, Sotiris, I was the first to say it. I'm not at all surprised estefan thinks everything's going along swimmingly. Isn't that his reaction to everything Disney has ever done on this forum? I've often considered him a plant here to drum up support for and defend their every decision, so no surprise there!

That's quite evident by now. I've seen him in Black-ish. I don't think he's right for the role. Sebastian is supposed to be older and wiser with a more bass voice. He has a different type of energy and temperament than what we associate with Sebastian. I thought they would cast someone of Jamaican descent this time around. I heard that people from the Carribean find it offensive when non-Carribeans mimic their accent. Isn't Disney supposed to be more mindful of that sort of thing these days?

At least we'll know who's to blame when this film turns out to be a steaming pile.