Halle Bailey, star of the upcoming live-action Little Mermaid movie, gave us our first real glimpse at the remake on her Instagram (those blurry and underwhelming set photos from a few weeks ago do not count). The photo shows Bailey as Ariel, full tail and all, lounging on the Italian coast during golden hour, as professional mermaids do. Bailey posted the picture on Monday in honor of the film wrapping production, as she explains in her caption. “And just like that … that’s a wrap. After auditioning for this film when I was 18 just about to turn 19, to now finishing filming through a pandemic when I turned 21 … we have finally made it,” Bailey wrote, referring to the COVID-19 delays that affected filming.
Bailey goes on to explain that she feels “grateful to have experienced this film in all of its glory” and thanks her co-stars, including Jonah Hauer-King (Prince Eric), Javier Bardem (King Triton), Melissa McCarthy (Ursula), and Awkwafina (Scuttle). There is no confirmed release date for the film, but in the meantime, you can rewatch (the extremely haunted) Little Mermaid Live TV special starring Shaggy as Sebastian (!) on Disney+.
