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Showing posts sorted by date for query mermaid poppy. Sort by relevance Show all posts

Friday, March 10, 2017

The 'Other' Little Mermaid Just Got A Trailer

Do you remember us mentioning a live action Little Mermaid film, involving Poppy Drayton (Shannara Chronicles), in our -Little-Mermaid-films-in-the-works round-up last October? (You can find that post, listing them all HERE) Well that film  [- NOT DISNEY FOLKS! -] just got a trailer - and it looks... interesting. There's a bit of magic, a circus* and, of course, a mermaid. Not sure how much of the story is based on HCA's tale (difficult to see evidence of that here) but we can see how it might be inspired by it - a little.

Press release:
The first trailer for the live-action version of The Little Mermaid from Conglomerate Media and Kingsway Productions has just been released. This is not Disney’s film, but is based on the famed fairytale from Hans Christian Andersen and stars a solid cast: Shirley MacLaine, Downton Abbey‘s Poppy Drayton, William Moseley (The Chronicles of Narnia), Loreto Peralta (Instructions Not Included) and Gina Gershon (Empire). The film is being planned for release this year. 
Take a look:
There must be more to it than we see here, as fantasy-fun and fairy tale-ish as this seems, especially if they're insisting it's based on Andersen's fairy tale. Whatever the case, it looks like a neat, magical family film.

*It actually reminds us a little of She Creature, with the 'mermaid trapped in a carnival' setting (a much better 'creature feature', resulting from an HBO contest, than you would think - trailer at link). We're guessing the course this movie takes is a full 180 turn away from where She Creature ended up going..! (The link takes you to a fan-made music video that explores the themes without the gore.) If you like darker movies, this one is recommended - lovely production, fantastic (known) cast and well developed story. Not for kids though!

Wednesday, October 12, 2016

Update on Various Live Action 'Little Mermaid's

This post is not about the Disney live action in the making. That's only recently been confirmed as a legitimate project and everything around it is very hush, hush at present. As we all know, however, there are others in the works...

In particular, we have been very interested in the live action movie by a different studio, Universal, said to follow Hans Christian Andersen's story much more faithfully, which originally had Sofia Coppola attached to direct. (We are sadly certain it would have been amazing... sigh.)

It's been in the works a long time now and has looked so promising, so often, only to have continual setbacks. Coppola resigning was a big blow to high hopes across the board for a truly interesting film (especially after the first casting of a transgender supermodel Andrej Pejic as one of the mermaid sisters). She cited creative differences, especially with regard to wanting to cast an unknown in the lead role. Most recently in September, Chloe Grace Moretz, chosen to star in the title role by the following (and currently attached) director, Rebecca Thomas, also quit the project (and many others), for personal reasons. (The Moretz pictures in this post are from her Facebook earlier this year, showing her initial enthusiasm for the project.)
Chloe Grace Moretz
With the movie originally planned for release in 2017, up till as late as the middle of this year, what's happening with it now? It's a little difficult to tell. much of the original information has disappeared, even from general production news and casting sites. Director Rebecca Thomas, is still attached and while there's been no official word on Pejic pulling out, she's no longer listed as attached either, but that's all that seems to be confirmed.

It gets confusing quickly with at least two other indie Little Mermaids set to release in 2017, not to mention that Disney has now confirmed they'll be doing a live action adaptation of their own animated classic.

The most interesting of the films, at present, is family film adaptation by MVP, with Poppy Drayton (The Shannara Chronicles) starring as the mermaid, and film legend Shirley McLaine. Here's the description:
Poppy Drayton, promo pic
for The Little Mermaid
(The) story follows a young orphan (Peralta) who discovers a beautiful and enchanting creature (played by Drayton) she believes to be the real “Little Mermaid.” MacLaine portrays Eloise, an eccentric woman who has intimate knowledge of the story. 
“We’re thrilled to be launching MVP Studios with ‘A Little Mermaid,’ a magical adventure that uses the beloved fairy tale as its jumping off point, but is an all-new story with all-new characters that the entire family can enjoy,” the producers said in a statement.
While it sounds like a fun fantasy film for the family, it seems doubtful this will have Little Mermaid fans as excited as they could be, since neither the plot of HCA's fairy tale will be followed, nor will it reflect the Disney film.

What it does tell us, though, is that there is a lot of mermaid and water-folk buzz in the film industry at present. Between all the various adaptations, a selkie film, Disney confirming their live action adaptation and the announcement that Disney/Touchstone's Splash is getting a remake (why?), we're set for much water magic at the box office in the next couple of years.