The 49-year-old singer and actress suggests that the 'Spy' star's casting is a done deal when talking about her role as the villainous sea witch on 'The Little Mermaid Live!' TV special.
- August 27, 2019
AceShowbiz - Queen Latifah has hinted that Melissa McCarthy's casting in the live action remake of "The Little Mermaid (2020)" is official.
Since Disney announced plans to reboot the animated 1989 as part of their live action roster, speculation has been rife about who will take on the role of the villainous sea witch Ursula. Melissa's name has been linked to the part for some time, and in a new interview, Latifah seemingly suggested her casting is a done deal.
Latifah, who is playing Ursula in TV event "The Wonderful World of Disney Presents: The Little Mermaid Live!", told Entertainment Tonight: "I'm excited for Melissa McCarthy as well. So, I know there's a lot of confusion but I love her, God bless her and we can definitely do a duet."
Addressing Melissa directly, Latifah added: "You know, we got rhymes for you. I'll do the singing, you do the rhyming."
Variety reported back in June that Melissa was in "early talks" about taking on the role.
As for her own portrayal of the villain in the TV live event, the 49-year-old actress smiled: "It's just been something that we've been working on for a while. It was perfect timing that it came together," she shared. "I'm so excited to play Ursula. I can't wait to see what spin Hamish (Hamilton, the musical's director) helps me put on this character."
