The Halle Bailey-led live-action remake of The Little Mermaid is splashing into theaters next month. And ahead of its premiere, the film’s director, Rob Marshall, teased potential sequels, saying “there’s always opportunity” for more.

Anticipation is at an all-time high for the next big-budget Disney live-action reboot, 2023’s The Little Mermaid. Featuring an all-star cast from the likes of Melissa McCarthy, Simone Ashley, Javier Bardem, and Awkwafina, the movie will be a reimagined adaptation of the beloved story audiences were first introduced to in the 1989 classic of the same name.

Similarly to its animated counterpart, this new take on The Little Mermaid will feature updated musical numbers with slightly-tweaked lyrics, sung by the five-time Grammy Award-nominated Bailey, Lin Manuel-Miranda, and the rest of its wickedly talented cast. Though it’s unclear how much of the story will be altered for the sake of appealing to modern audiences, it’s sure to feature the same charm and nostalgia as the original.

2023’s The Little Mermaid has the potential to score big for Disney at the box office, and based on its success and (hopefully) positive reception, it might have the potential to develop into a franchise. Because of this, the film’s director is seemingly already considering the possibility of live-action prequels sequels set in the same Little Mermaid universe.

Although the movie has yet to be released, Marshall already seems optimistic about the movie’s success, hinting that audiences won’t be able to get enough of Bailey’s Ariel. Speaking with Total Film (via GamesRadar), Marshall discussed the possibility of exploring more Little Mermaid stories down the line, saying:

“I know there have been the prequels and sequels to the animated film – like, the straight-to-video kind of things, you know? It’s a classic story that has a lot of characters and a lot of interesting stories. I do think it’s right for certain things. But you have to see how a movie plays, and how it does… I think there’s always opportunity to find stories within stories. That’s always a wonderful thing.”

Marshall certainly seems open to the idea of exploring sequels and prequels in the future—but only if his first Little Mermaid movie proves to be successful.

Of course, if the studio decides to go in that direction—whether it be a Disney+ exclusive or a proper theatrical release—there are endless possibilities for what an expanded Little Mermaid universe could explore. Perhaps, we could get an Ursula origin story similar to the Emma Stone-led Cruella (2021) or, more likely, a Little Mermaid 2.

Plus, there’s already some, albeit less-than-well-received, source material to go off of. The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea (2000) was an animated direct-to-video sequel to the original film, which follows Ariel and Prince Eric’s married life. The film may have an abysmal audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, but nonetheless, there are undoubtedly some ideas there for filmmakers to explore in potential live-action sequels.

Fans can look forward to seeing The Little Mermaid exclusively in theaters on May 26, 2023.

Ever since the makers shared the first glimpse of the Halle Bailey-led live-action adaptation of Disney’s The Little Mermaid at D23, fans had been waiting for more updates on the film with bated breath.

The makers finally raised the curtain on its first official trailer a month ago. And now that the film is gearing up for its UK premiere next month, Simone has finally been confirmed to be playing Indira, one of Ariel’s mer-sisters.

In addition to Bailey and Simone, the film is set to star Jonah Hauer-King as Prince Eric, Javier Bardem as King Triton, Melissa McCarthy as the sinister sea witch Ursula, Daveed Diggs as Sebastian the Crab, Jacob Tremblay as Ariel’s guppy friend Flounder, and Awkwafina as Scuttle, Art Malik as Prince Eric’s butler Grimsby.

Simone is set to attend the much-awaited premiere of the film alongside Halle Bailey, Jonah Hauer-King, Melissa McCarthy, and Javier Bardem.

Directed by Rob Marshall, the forthcoming film will include music from the original movie, plus new tracks developed by EGOT winner Alan Menken and “Hamilton” creator Lin-Manuel Miranda.

The Little Mermaid is slated to hit theatres on May 26.