Filming on the live-action remake of Disney's the Little Mermaid has officially begun according to star Javier Bardem. Like many big-budget movie projects, The Little Mermaid was supposed to start shooting last year, but the pandemic shut down production before cameras could begin rolling. It was previously reported that filming was scheduled to begin this month, and while speaking with the Columbian outlet El Tiempo, Bardem revealed that production is indeed underway with health and safety protocols in place.

From the interview, Here's what Javier Bardem said of his experience filming The Little Mermaid:

"Well, it's affecting because there's nothing more than being on the hotel, then go to work... From work to the hotel, because that's what should be done... All protocols are exhaustive, there's a lot of care when they're doing the tests every day, with the number of people on the set, which is considerably big. There's a lot of protocols and honestly I feel safe. Other thing is when you leave the set, in my case I go home, same as the other production members, but I think that if all things are done properly, it could totally be a safe place."

The Little Mermaid tells the story of a mermaid princess named Ariel who dreams of becoming a human after falling in love with a human prince named Eric. This leads her to accepting a deal with Ursula the sea witch to become human for three days in exchange for her voice. If Ariel fails to make Eric fall in love with her uring this time, she will turn back into a mermaid and belong to Ursual forever.

Rob Marshall (Mary Poppins Returns) directs The Little Mermaid using a screenplay by Jane Goldman and David Magee. Lin-Manuel Miranda and Alan Menken are writing new music for the movie with Menken providing the score; Menken also did the music for the original animated movie. Marshall, Miranda, John DeLuca, and Marc Platt are executive producing.

In The Little Mermaid, Bardem will play King Triton, Ariel's father. Ariel herself will be played by Halle Bailey, and the rest of the all-star cast includes Jonah Hauer-King as Prince Eric, Melissa McCarthy as Ursula, Daveed Diggs as Sebastian, Jacob Tremblay as Flounder, and Awkwafina as Scuttle. Noma Dumezweni and Emily Coates will also appear in undisclosed roles.

Bardem also has another big role lined up for fans of the actor to look forward to. He is in talks to play the late Desi Arnaz in Being the Ricardos, a movie set during the production of I Love Lucy with Nicole Kidman co-starring as Lucille Ball. Additionally, Bardem will be seen in director Denis Villeneuve's Dune remake which is due to release on Oct. 1, 2021, simultaneously in theaters and for a month on HBO Max.

Disney hasn't yet set a release date for The Little Mermaid, but a 2022 premiere seems probable, so as long as there are no more significant filming delays. Bardem's quote was transcribed by The DisInsider and was originally reported by El Tiempo.