The Super Bowl was the gift that kept on giving last weekend, supplying us with our first extended look at the live-action. We explain who the character, Indira, is in The Little Mermaid, introduce you to actor Simone Ashley, and discuss the stacked 2023 cast on board the project.
Hamilton star, Lin-Manuel Miranda, is on board to co-write the new songs of the movie with acclaimed Disney composer, Alan Menken.
Directed by Rob Marshall, written by David Magee and Jane Goldman, and taken from a story by Magee, Marshall, and John DeLuca, The Little Mermaid is a live-action adaptation of the classic 1989 Disney animated movie of the same name, which in turn, is loosely based on the 1837 fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen.
Who is Indira in The Little Mermaid?
Indira is confirmed to be one of King Triton’s daughters and a sister to Ariel, however, her name has been changed for the movie.
Teen Vogue confirmed that Indira was named after a “goddess of prosperity, good luck, and beauty”, and not named “India” as some fans confused the spelling.
During the live-action’s Super Bowl trailer, fans believed they caught their first glimpse of Indira, sporting an orange dress with a yellow and red tail, swimming alongside Triton’s other six daughters.
Meet Simone Ashley
The Little Mermaid’s Simone Ashley will be familiar to Bridgerton fans, as she played Kathani “Kate” Sharma, becoming Lady Bridgerton, during seasons 2 and 3 of the Netflix series.
The British actor of Indian Tamil descent began her career back in 2016, picking up roles for the next three years in Broadchurch, Casualty, and the movie Detective Pikachu.
Ashley’s breakout role came in the form of Sex Education, where she played Olivia Hanan in the popular Netflix show.

Introducing The Little Mermaid 2023 cast
Singer, songwriter, and actor, Halle Bailey, leads The Little Mermaid 2023 cast as the titular sea creature, Ariel, known for her musical duet with sister Chloe.
Comedic legend in the acting field, Melissa McCarthy, is also on board to play the unsettling Ursula, joining Javier Bardem as King Triton and Awkwafina as Scuttle.
Additionally, Russell Balogh and Adiran Christopher have also been cast in undisclosed roles for now.
Below, we have included The Little Mermaid’s full cast:
- Halle Bailey – Ariel
- Jonah Hauer-King – Eric
- Melissa McCarthy – Ursula
- Javier Bardem – King Triton
- Art Malik – Grimsby
- Noma Dumezweni – Queen Selina
- Lorena Andrea – Perla
- Simone Ashley – Indira
- Kajsa Mohammar – Karina
- Nathalie Sorrell – Caspia
- Karolina Conchet – Mala
- Sienna King – Tameka
- Daveed Diggs – Sebastian
- Jacob Tremblay – Flounder
- Awkwafina – Scuttle
- Jessica Alexander – Vanessa
By Jo Craig – [email protected]
The Little Mermaid is scheduled to be released on May 26, 2023.