Little Mermaid Star Javier Bardem Is Having Major Problems Performing Next To Halle Bailey
In 2016, Disney began reimagining some of its classic animated films as live-action adaptations. "The Jungle Book" kicked off this trend, and movies such as "Dumbo," "Beauty and the Beast," "Aladdin," and "The Lion King" got the same treatment. For its latest adaptation project, Disney is going back to the 1989 classic "The Little Mermaid." The movie was initially supposed to begin filming in 2020, but delays that were brought on due to the pandemic postponed shooting until 2021.
With a release date scheduled for May 23, 2023 (via The Hollywood Reporter), "The Little Mermaid" will feature a very noteworthy cast. The film will star Halle Bailey as Ariel, Melissa McCarthy as Ursula, Daveed Diggs as Sebastian, and Javier Bardem as King Triton. The original animated film featured numerous musical numbers, and it also looks like the upcoming adaptation will do the same. And if we can glean anything from Bardem's recent reveal on what it was like for him to hear co-star Bailey warm up her vocals on-set, the songs featuring Ariel are simply going to be fantastic.
Javier Bardem was impressed by Halle Bailey's warm-up vocals
Javier Bardem has displayed impressive range as an actor, which probably explains why he has earned numerous Oscar nominations throughout his career. As of now, we aren't too privy to his vocal range regarding music numbers, but that should change thanks to "The Little Mermaid." Via Variety, Bardem noted that director Rob Marshall had granted King Triton his own song for the upcoming adaptation. We'll hear those musical chops, though that is if Bardem can pause from being amazed by co-star Halle Bailey's singing. While speaking to Entertainment Tonight, Bardem heavily complimented Bailey's singing as Ariel.
"She was warming up her voice near me, and I was like 'What was that?' She goes, 'Oh, I was just warming up,'" Bardem told the outlet. "It would take me five years to do that!"
Given how talented Bailey has shown herself with Chloe X Halle, the musical act composed of her and her sister Chloe Bailey, we could understand why Bardem is heavy with praise for his co-star. Besides producing Grammy-nominated albums like "Ungodly Hour" (via Teen Vogue), Chloe X Halle has also toured a few times with Beyoncé. There's little worry that Halle Bailey will do a tremendous job in the role of Ariel. But if there were any doubts, at least Bardem can currently vouch for her.