Halle Bailey is the number one reason I’m pleading Disney not to make ‘The Little Mermaid 2’

After The Little Mermaid swam to domestic box office success across its opening weekend, I predicted that things were looking so good for the latest of Disney’s live-action remakes that execs were no doubt already thinking about making a sequel. Well, hands up, I may have spoken too soon as its floundering international gross is leaving it under question whether the film is even going to break even. So that alone is probably enough to hit pause on any potential sequel talks that may have been happening.

Nevertheless, this is Disney we’re talking about, so there will inevitably be some kind of future for the Little Mermaid brand. And a live-action version of 2000 animated follow-up The Little Mermaid II; Return to the Sea remains a strong possibility. Nevertheless, despite previously asking Disney to make it happen so that Kristen Wiig can replace Melissa McCarthy as the villain, I’m now changing my mind and pleading Disney not to produce a Little Mermaid 2 in this vein. The reason is simple: Halle Bailey.

In Return to the Sea, 12 years have passed and Ariel and Eric are now parents to pre-teen daughter Melody, who is kept out of the sea in much the same way as Ariel was kept from the surface-world. While that subversion of the original status quo worked well for the animated rendition of the story, it wouldn’t be the way to go in live-action as it would necessitate recasting Ariel. Which, despite the review-bombing and complaining from racists, is something we do not want to happen.

As has been said extensively at this point, Bailey gives a star-making performance in the movie and embodies the character of Ariel better than anyone else could. However, unless Disney waits at least a decade, there’s no way we could buy Bailey as the mother of an adolescent daughter and putting her in the strict King Triton-like parental position would be a disservice to the sweetness and charm she brings to the part in the remake.

Unlike many of Disney’s reboots, The Little Mermaid leaves room for further stories (not like Aladdin, and its bizarre decision to make the Genie human), so it may well merit a sequel at some stage. But if and when it does happen it shouldn’t throw out the greatest gift the remake gives us in the process. Don’t listen to the trolls, Disney. Halle Bailey is Ariel and Ariel she should stay.