‘The Little Mermaid’: Inside Rob Marshall’s Private Screening With Matt Damon, Emily Blunt and John Krasinski (EXCLUSIVE)

Halle Bailey and Melissa McCarthy are joined by director Rob Marshall as they walk the red carpet for the the Australian premiere of The Little Mermaid on Monday (May 22) in Sydney, Australia.

Disney’s live-action “The Little Mermaid” — the highly anticipated and revamped musical starring Halle Bailey — is finally here to take us back under the sea. The music by Oscar-winner Alan Menken that made the first one a hit is also back, but these songs have been rewritten for the live version with help from Lin-Manuel Miranda.

Disney’s attempts to reinvent their animated classics as live action versions has proven to be largely a smart boxoffice play, but one with a mixed creative result. Certainly some were huge hits likeBill Condon’s Beauty And The Beast and Guy Ritchie’s less enchanting Aladdin. Others effectively created photo real animals in The Lion King and The Jungle Book . Older Disney staples have gotten the treatment by focusing on the villains in Cruella and Maleficent and their sequels, even an unforunate Disney + attempt on the untouchable (if you ask me) Lady And The Tramp. But even approaching an animated masterpiece, 1989’s The Little Mermaid and essentially trying to make a splashy (sorry) big screen live action musical that works above and under the water seems dicey on paper. So what do you do? Bring in Rob Marshall , and as it turns out that is all the new live action The Little Mermaid needed.

, is finally coming to the big screen on Friday, May 26. After making a big splash when Disney dropped the first trailer last year, the live-action remake has been one of the most highly anticipated films of 2023.As we get closer to the film's release, tickets to see  are now on sale and people are pouring in to watch this movie in theaters. Be prepared for your breath to be taken away when the movie premieres next week by securing your tickets now.Enjoy the classic story of in Disney's live-action remake.

Marc Malkin Senior Film Awards, Events & Lifestyle Editor Sterling K. Brown could be on his way to Broadway. The three-time Emmy winner will star in a reading of a new stage production of “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” on May 18 in New York City, sources exclusively tell me. Brown will play Randle P. McMurphy, a character famously portrayed by Jack Nicholson in the 1975 movie adaptation of Ken Kesey’s 1962 novel. Sources also tell me that Tony winner Laura Benanti will play Nurse Ratched. The team behind the reading have their hopes set on a Broadway run. The reading is directed by Young Vic artistic director Kwame Kwei-Armah. Scott Delman produces. Delman is also on board as a producer of the “Thelma & Louise” musical, which has been workshopped with Amanda Seyfried and Evan Rachel Wood starring.

and that's thanks to Halle Bailey.The 23-year-old stars as the titular, headstrong princess in Disney's new live-action reimagining, and her casting has hit home in a big way for little Black girls who are seeing themselves portrayed as the beloved Disney character for the first time onscreen.The film also stars Jonah Hauer-King as Prince Eric, Melissa McCarthy as Ursula, and Javier Bardem as King Triton, with Daveed Diggs as the voice of Sebastian the crab, Jacob Tremblay as Flounder, and Awkwafina as Scuttle.The role feels like a dream come true according to Bailey, whose previous forays into acting include starring alongside her older sister and musical partner, Chlöe Bailey, on Freeform's  series. The singer tells ET that while it «feels absolutely amazing» to join the iconic ranks of the Disney Princesses, being one of the few Black Princesses is on a whole new level.«I just am really grateful to be in this position,» Bailey tells ET's Nischelle Turner, citing Brandy Norwood's Cinderella and Anika Noni Rose's Princess Tiana as her inspirations.«I loved Brandy as Cinderella; she was so amazing, such a role model and inspiration and a really big kind of studying point for me as I was taking on Ariel,» Bailey shares.

Marc Malkin Senior Film Awards, Events & Lifestyle Editor Trace Lysette is in a hotel room on 8th Street in New York City when she jumps on a Zoom video call with Variety to talk about her new movie, “Monica.” In just a couple of hours, she’s set to walk the red carpet at the indie drama’s premiere at the IFC Center. “I used to turn tricks a few blocks from there,” Lysette says. Like so many trans women, Lysette once turned to sex work as a means of survival. “I was a young person alone in New York doing God knows what to survive,” says Lysette, who was raised in Ohio. “Last night we had a screening at The [Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Community] Center here. That was so heavy for me because I got my gender identity therapy there 20 years ago.”

Marc Malkin Senior Film Awards, Events & Lifestyle Editor The Tonys has asked the Writers Guild of America for a waiver in order to go ahead with plans for Broadway’s biggest night of the year. A source confirms that the request was filed with the WGA earlier this week. If the waiver is not granted, the televised ceremony – set for June 11 — will probably be canceled because presenters and nominees are unlikely to cross picket lines. Ariana DeBose is set to return as host but it is believed she’ll cancel if the strike is still on. The Tonys are scheduled to take place at the United Palace in New York’s Washington Heights. The ceremony starts at 8 p.m. ET and air live on CBS, as well as the streaming service Paramount+.

Part of her world! Halle Bailey was an under-the-sea vision at The Little Mermaid premiere on Monday, May 8.   

Disney’s live-action remake of “The Little Mermaid” starring Halle Bailey. With the film’s Los Angeles premiere now concluding, first reactions to the musical have begun to hit social media. Ahead of its May 26 debut in theaters, Disney unveiled footage of “The Little Mermaid” at last month’s CinemaCon in Las Vegas, showing an early glimpse at Melissa McCarthy singing “Poor Unfortunate Souls” as Ursula. Variety also reported that director Rob Marshall and his husband, producer John DeLuca, held a private screening of the film, with a guest list including Emily Blunt, John Krasinski, Matt Damon and Ben Platt. The star-studded audience apparently applauded after each musical number and continued to rave during a post-screening reception.

Severance is the latest series to be shut down as a result of strike picketing.

Marc Malkin Senior Film Awards, Events & Lifestyle Editor Judd Apatow thinks the studios and streamers already have an idea of when the writers strike may end. “I think they probably already know what they’re going to bend on,” Apatow told Variety Saturday at the Rock4EB benefit in Malibu. “I would assume they already know what date this is going to end. They’ve probably been planning this for years.” The writer-director reflected comments heard on picket lines in Los Angeles and New York after talks cratered between the Writers Guild of America and Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers and the writers union began to strike Tuesday. Apatow explained that he sees the strike as a calculated business move by Hollywood’s largest employers.

, is finally coming to the big screen on Friday, May 26. After making a big splash when Disney dropped the first trailer last year, the live-action remake has been one of the most highly anticipated films of 2023.As we get closer to the film's release, tickets to see are now on sale and people are pouring in to see this movie in theaters. Be prepared for your breath to be taken away when the movie premieres by securing your tickets now.Enjoy the classic story of in Disney's live-action remake.

CinemaCon 2023 officially drew to a close this evening in Las Vegas, with NATO handing out its Big Screen Achievement Awards to such recipients as Christopher Nolan, Emma Thomas, Zendaya, Chris Meledandri and Melissa McCarthy. The evening’s sentiment continued the running theme of the four-day conference: celebrating and preserving the theatrical experience.

We’re days away from the 2023 Met Gala, but first we’re taking a look back at last year’s event and all of the celebs who attended for the first time.

John Krasinski took the stage at the Colosseum this morning to unveil the first-ever look at A Quiet Place: Day One. The franchise spinoff directed by Michael Sarnoski stars Lupita Nyong’o, Joseph Quinn, Alex Wolff, Djimon Hounsou and Denis O’Hare. Release is set for March 8, 2024.

Not content to show off its 2023 slate, Paramount’s CinemaCon presentation offered a few sneak peeks at next year’s releases. John Krasinski took to the stage to offer the first look at the next “Quiet Place” movie. Written and directed by Michael Sarnoski (who helmed Nicolas Cage’s “Pig”), the New York-set prequel will star Lupita Nyong’o, Joseph Quinn, Alex Wolff, Djimon Hounsou and Denis O’Hare.

The Tribeca Festival has its opening-night, closing-night and centerpiece films.

Eightyseven North brought a stunt dance crew and motorocycles on stage toward the finale of Universal’s CinemaCon presentation for their 2024 movie The Fall Guy. Quite often the studios here at CinemaCon keep it confined to showing off 2023 product, but Uni wanted to give exhibitors in the room something more.

Much of the focus on Disney’s promotion of their upcoming “Little Mermaid” remake is based around Halle Bailey’s take on Ariel. But the studio’s CinemaCon presentation of the film was dedicated to Ursula, as Melissa McCarthy stopped by in Las Vegas to unveil her performance as the dreaded Sea Witch.