Photo: Courtesy The Walt Disney Company.Yeah, we were a little dumbfounded when we found out, too. Now, we're not throwing shade on Sofia Coppola, here. She's one of our favorite directors. We don't care what you say, Somewhere was amazing. But, when we think about The Little Mermaid, we imagine the same things you do: a sweet redhead singing on a rock, the wonder of a fork, a crab leading an aquatic band in an underwater calypso number, all that. Indeed, we'd be hard pressed to find a director less likely to bring Ariel to the screen than the atmospheric, tonal Coppola.
And, yet, Deadline reports that the auteur has taken on a live-action version for Universal pictures (not Disney). It also reports, get this, that the Edward Scissorhands writer Caroline Thompson is on board. The industry bible suggests this remake will hew closer to the original Hans Christian Andersen story, "about the mermaid willing to make a Faustian bargain to live on land after she falls in love." Sounds deep, y'all. Actually, we're starting to wonder if this movie will be for the kids at all — something tells us there won't be any dancing crabs. (Deadline)