Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

The Little Mermaid director on working with Indian talent

The director’s previous hits include Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, Memoirs of a Geisha, Nine, Into the Woods, and Mary Poppins Returns.

The Little Mermaid director on working with Indian talent

The Indian film industry has been making great strides internationally. With incredible stories and great talent, Indian cinema has found a huge fan base on foreign soil. Ace filmmaker Rob Marshall is also an admirer of Indian talent.

In an interview with ANI, Rob, who is currently being lauded for his directorial The Little Mermaid, expressed his desire to work with Indian artistes in future projects.


"I would love it...I mean I am so open to working with wonderful, spectacular actors...there are so many great Indian actors. I was very proud to have Art Malik in our film. He has an Asian background and he is very special. I am always looking for who is best for the role. I am open to everybody and anybody," Rob said.

Disney's live-action remake of the beloved animated The Little Mermaid stars Halley Bailey as Ariel in the lead role. It also includes Melissa McCarthy as the evil sea witch Ursula, Jonah Hauer-King as Prince Eric, Javier Bardem as King Triton, Daveed Diggs as the voice of Sebastian the crab, Jacob Tremblay as Flounder the fish and Awkwafina as Scuttle the seabird.

The film revolves around Ariel, the spirited young mermaid who makes a dangerous deal with the evil sea witch Ursula in order to experience life on land and meet the dashing Prince Eric. The pact, however, poses a great risk to her father's watery kingdom.

Rob's reinvention has received a thumbs-up from moviegoers.

Asked if he had any pressure of trying to live up to expectations with The Little Mermaid remake, the veteran director said, "I did not feel the pressure because I have a great relationship with people in Disney. I feel very supported by them and respected. This property means so much to the company and to the world... so I wanted to honour the greatness of what's there but also realise that I am working on a different genre -- a live-action genre...so there's an opportunity to make it a deeper and fuller experience and more fleshed out in many ways and ultimately more emotional."

However, Rob admitted that 'The Little Mermaid' is one of the most challenging films of his career to date.

Rob's previous hits include Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, Memoirs of a Geisha, Nine, Into the Woods, and Mary Poppins Returns.

More For You

Vijay's ‘Jana Nayagan’ postponed, leaving fans in limbo

The delay has also highlighted broader problems within the exhibition system

X/ KvNProductions

Vijay's ‘Jana Nayagan’ postponed, leaving fans in limbo

Highlights

  • Jana Nayagan pulled from its 9 January theatrical release
  • Distributors in Europe and Malaysia confirm cancellation on social media
  • Delay linked to pending CBFC certification and court proceedings
  • Postponement follows record advance bookings and ticketing chaos

Release put on hold amid certification uncertainty

Thalapathy Vijay’s much-anticipated film Jana Nayagan has been officially postponed, days before its scheduled theatrical release on 9 January. The decision comes amid continuing uncertainty over the film’s certification, with no revised release date announced so far.

The development surfaced on 7 January after distributors handling the film in Europe and Malaysia confirmed on X that the release had been cancelled. While the film was expected to open on a large scale, the lack of clearance has forced the makers to put plans on pause.

Keep ReadingShow less