It’s been recently announced that Queen Latifah will be playing Ursula in ABC’s live concert airing of “The Little Mermaid.”
According to Deadline, “The Wonderful World of Disney Presents The Little Mermaid Live!” will be a mixture of live-action, puppetry and animation. It’ll also include live musical performances by the cast, and ideas for costumes, as well as the set, will be pulled from the 1989 animated film and the Broadway version.
It’s also been revealed that reggae artist Shaggy has joined the cast and will play the character Sebastian, which he acknowledged on Instagram.
“Excited to be a part of it!! Thanx to the guys at ABC networks and the wonderful world of Disney for the opportunity!” wrote Shaggy on Monday.
Queen Latifah also posted news about her role.
“Fortunately I know a little magic.” 😘 Excited to be a part of The Wonderful World of Disney Presents The Little Mermaid Live! #Ursula#TheLittleMermaid#TeamSeaWitch,” wrote the actress, singer and rapper Monday on Instagram.
News of the ABC production comes shortly after it was announced that singer and actress Halle Bailey will be playing the part of Ariel in a live-action film version of “The Little Mermaid” coming to theaters.
Bailey will be the first woman of color to ever star in a Disney live-action remake, and her involvement sparked plenty of racist backlash.
A lot of people, however, like Donald Glover, who plays Simba in the live-action film of “The Lion King,” came to the 19-year-old’s defense and encouraged her to block out the negative-speak.
Auli’i Cravalho will play Ariel in the ABC release, which will air on Nov. 5 to mark the 30th anniversary of the movie.
After Latifah posted news about her involvement, people said she was ideal for the Ursula role.
“Perfect pick!! I can’t wait!!” someone wrote on Instagram.
“You are so awesome for that part it’s you all the way can’t wait to see it,” another person commented.
