Melissa McCarthy in talks to star as Ursula in Little Mermaid remake

The character was originally based on the drag queen Divine, leading some fans to criticise Disney for not approaching a drag queen for the new film

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Melissa McCarthy is in talks to star as the villainous Ursula in Disney‘s planned live-action remake of The Little Mermaid.

According to Variety, the actor is currently in early talks for the role, which would see her play the sea witch who uses a nefarious deal to take the voice of Ariel, a young mermaid in love with a human prince.

No other cast for the film has been announced, although the film will be directed by Mary Poppins Returns‘s Rob Marshall.

It will incorporate the original songs from the 1989 animated film, alongside new compositions by Alan Menken and Lin-Manuel Miranda. The screenplay was written by David Magee.

Ursula, of course, has her own villain song, meaning presumably McCarthy would deliver her own rendition of “Poor Unfortunate Souls”.

The character was originally based on the drag queen Divine, best known for the John Waters films Pink Flamingos and Hairspray, leading some fans to criticise Disney for not approaching a drag queen for the new film.

The next in Disney’s line of live-action remakes of its classic animated films is The Lion King, which opens in UK cinemas on 19 July.