14 DAY TRIAL // This is big news indeed as Universal Pictures has plans for a live-action movie that is going to be directed, as far as we know at the moment, by Sofia Coppola. It's safe to say that this is a bit of an eyebrow raiser because Coppola is usually known for her adult dramas rather than for children's fantasy.
Deadline has the exclusive and claims that there has been a script in the works for the project for quite some time. Caroline Thompson, who has previously worked on “Edward Scrissorhands” and “The Addams Family,” has been tasked with rewriting the script on the classic tale of the mermaid who makes a dangerous bargain to become human.
It appears that this is not the first draft, as there were previous versions penned by Kelly Marcel, who also worked on “Fifty Shades of Grey,” and Abi Morgan, who wrote “Shame.”
Nor is Coppola the first choice in directors, as it's being reported that at a certain point in the past Joe Wright was taped to direct. This all means that the project has been stewing for some time now if they were able to get three drafts of the script done and change two directors already.
Stay tuned for casting news as we’ll curiously wait to see who gets to play the red-headed mermaid Ariel.