If you cast your mind all the way back to 2016, you may recall that Disney tapped Jillian Bell and Channing Tatum to take on the Tom Hanks and Daryl Hannah roles in a gender-swapped remake of the hit 1984 fantasy rom-com Splash.
No sooner had the project been announced than things fell silent, and if you were wondering whether The Little Mermaid was going to fulfil Disney’s desire for a new live-action mermaid movie, you may be surprised to hear that not only is Splash remake still in development, but it looks like the Mouse House is about ready to take the plunge.
As reported by Deadline, The Sleepover screenwriter Sarah Rothschild has signed on to work on the script for the remake, working from a previous draft by Marja-Lewis Ryan. Bell meanwhile remains attached to star, although the complete lack of Channing Tatum mention presumably means we’ll no longer be seeing the Magic Mike star as a Merman.
Directed by Ron Howard, the original 1984 film made a big spla — impact at the box office, grossing $70 million from a budget of just $11 million. It spawned the ABC made-for-TV sequel Splash, Too in 1988, although unsurprisingly neither Hanks nor Hannah were back for the follow-up.
