Live-Action Remake Of Classic Disney Movie Gets Hopeful Sequel Update From Star

Published Sep 11, 2026, 6:32 PM EDT EXCLUSIVE: One of the stars of Disney's live-action remake of The Little Mermaid spoke out about returning to the beloved franchise in a possible sequel. The live-action film came out 34 years after the original animated version was released and grossed $569.6 million. Disney has yet to greenlight The Little Mermaid 2, but there's already a template that could be followed via The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea, which sees Ariel trying to shield her daughter from the ocean and Ursula's sister. In an interview with ScreenRant's Tatiana Hullender, Jonah Hauer-King, who played Ariel's love interest Eric in the live-action Little Mermaid, admitted that he's open to reprising the role for a sequel, saying, "Why not?" He expressed how much he loves his co-star Halle Bailey, who is "still a very dear friend," and added that he had a "great time" working on the first film. "If you're up for it, I'm done. I'm down," he said. "Going under the sea. What happens in the second one? Doesn't he become...They have a child. They have a child, right? Yeah, and then it's the reverse, right? Right, it's the reverse. "Yeah, why not? I mean, I love Halle so much. She's still a very dear friend. I had a great time in that film. If you're up for it, I'm down. I'm down." Before The Little Mermaid, Disney had already reimagined several of their animated films in live-action, including Beauty and the Beast, Dumbo, Aladdin and Mulan, among many others. The Mickey Mouse company has continued the trend with Snow White, Lilo & Stitch and Moana, to varying degrees of success and even some flops along the way. Snow White and Moana underwhelmed in theaters, but Lilo & Stitch found massive success, earning $1 billion. The Little Mermaid, meanwhile, had mixed results at the box office, with moderate success domestically but underwhelming results internationally, resulting in a $5 million loss for Disney. Based on that outcome, it doesn't seem like Disney would want to risk making a sequel that could potentially perform worse than the first film, especially since The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea was widely panned by critics and audiences alike. Interestingly, though, there were reports before the live-action movie even came out that studio executives wanted Bailey to reprise Ariel. Director Rob Marshall, Bailey and Hauer-King have all expressed an interest in coming back as well. After starring in The Little Mermaid, Hauer-King went on to appear in I Know What You Did Last Summer, A House of Dynamite, The Tattooist of Auschwitz and Doctor Who. His next film, The Face of Horror, will make its debut at the Toronto International Film Festival, which just kicked off on September 10. Next up on Disney's live-action remake schedule is Tangled on March 31, 2028, followed by Lilo & Stitch 2 two months later on May 26. A live-action film about Beauty and the Beast's Gaston is reportedly in development, as is a Cinderella spinoff called Stepsisters and a live-action Princess Tiana movie inspired by The Princess and the Frog, among others. Release dates haven't been announced for those latter films yet, and Disney has not officially commented on diving back under the sea for a sequel to The Little Mermaid, but the cast and crew have made it known that they will gladly sign on if the studio gives the go-ahead. Release Date May 26, 2023 Runtime 135 Minutes Director Rob Marshall The Little Mermaid is a live-action remake in the same vein as many of Disney's others, like Aladdin and Beauty and the Beast. Halle Bailey stars as Ariel, a young mermaid who desperately wants to see the world above the ocean.