The cultural and ethnic diversity Disney is bringing to their live-action The Little Mermaid has upset some folks, but it isn’t stopping the Mouse House in any way. Their latest addition to the cast is Daveed Diggs, the Hamilton star who has been everywhere of late, bulking up on loads of new projects.
Diggs is set to play Sebastian the crab, joining star Halle Bailey as Ariel, Javier Bardem as King Triton, Awkwafina as Scuttle, Jacob Tremblay as Flounder, and Melissa McCarthy as the villainous Ursula.
Hamilton fans can get excited over the reunion of Diggs with Lin-Manuel Miranda who is developing brand new songs along with original composer Alan Menken. Perhaps Miranda can come up with a hot new take on Sebastian’s iconic songs “Under the Sea” and “Kiss the Girl”. I think that’s pretty much assured, right?
This has been a particularly busy time for Diggs, as he’s set to lead the upcoming series adaptation of Snowpiercer, and recently agreed to turn his indie hit film Blindspotting into a TV show.
The Little Mermaid will be directed by Rob Marshall with production kicking off early next year. [Deadline]
