🚨 HOLY SCALES, DISNEY’S SINKING! 🚨 A shadowy Middle Eastern tycoon just DROPPED $8 BILLION on a bombshell Little Mermaid remake – but with a TWIST that’ll make your jaw drop: The Last of Us star Bella Ramsey as ARIEL?! 😱 The CEO slammed the door at first… then 30 minutes later? Total 180. Whispers from inside: “Bella has THAT voice – but does she have the fins for this war?” Is this genius or career suicide? Halle’s legacy in SHAMBLES?  👇🧜‍♀️💥

In a move that’s rippling through Hollywood like a tidal wave, a leaked memo from an anonymous studio insider claims a reclusive Middle Eastern billionaire has funneled a jaw-dropping $8 billion into a major film studio – with one non-negotiable demand: a complete overhaul of Disney’s beloved The Little Mermaid, starring The Last of Us breakout Bella Ramsey as the iconic Ariel. The figure, described only as a “Gulf-based oil heir with a passion for fairy tales,” reportedly stormed into a high-stakes negotiation, leaving executives reeling and the internet ablaze with speculation. But as details trickle out, questions mount: Is this a visionary reinvention or a cultural catastrophe waiting to happen?

The saga began, according to the leak obtained by this outlet, in a dimly lit boardroom at an unnamed Los Angeles lot last month. The billionaire – whose identity remains shrouded, though whispers point to ties with Saudi or Emirati royalty – arrived unannounced, flanked by a team of sharp-suited advisors and a briefcase stuffed with preliminary contracts. His pitch? Pour an unprecedented war chest into resurrecting The Little Mermaid, the 1989 animated classic that’s already spawned a controversial 2023 live-action version starring Halle Bailey. But this wouldn’t be a sequel or spin-off. No, this was a full-throated remake – from the seabed up – with Ramsey, the 22-year-old non-binary actor fresh off an Emmy nod for HBO’s post-apocalyptic hit, slipping into Ariel’s shimmering tail.

Sources close to the meeting paint a scene straight out of a thriller: The studio CEO, a veteran of Disney’s live-action remake machine, initially balked. “This is insane,” he reportedly shot back, slamming a fist on the mahogany table. “We’ve just clawed our way out of the Little Mermaid backlash quagmire. Another one? With this casting? You’re talking box office poison.” The 2023 film, directed by Rob Marshall and budgeted at a then-record $240 million (later revised upward amid whispers of overruns), grossed $569.6 million worldwide but fell short of the billion-dollar hauls that defined earlier remakes like Beauty and the Beast or The Lion King. Critics praised Bailey’s vocal prowess but lambasted the CGI-heavy spectacle as “soulless,” while online trolls turned the teaser trailer into YouTube’s most-disliked ever, amassing 3.8 million thumbs-downs fueled by racist fervor over a Black Ariel.

The CEO’s resistance held for all of 30 minutes. Then, in a closed-door huddle that insiders describe as “electric,” the tide turned. The billionaire, leveraging his bottomless pockets, dangled not just the $8 billion infusion – enough to greenlight a dozen blockbusters – but promises of global distribution deals across the Middle East, where Disney’s fairy-tale empire has long eyed expansion. “Bella has… the edge we need,” the leak quotes the mogul as saying, his voice trailing off into an enigmatic pause that left execs hanging. “She’s not just singing underwater – she’s surviving it.” Whether that “edge” refers to Ramsey’s gritty, survivalist vibe from The Last of Us – where they played the tough-as-nails Ellie – or something more personal remains unclear. Ramsey, who came out as non-binary in 2023 and has championed queer representation, could bring a fresh, gender-fluid lens to Ariel’s tale of transformation and forbidden love. But in a town still licking wounds from Snow White‘s Rachel Zegler controversies, it’s dynamite on a dry deck.

By the meeting’s end, handshakes were exchanged, NDAs invoked, and the project – codenamed “Ariel’s Eclipse” – was born. The billionaire’s stake? A controlling interest in creative decisions, including script tweaks to amp up “modern resilience themes,” per the memo. Early rumors suggest a director swap: Out goes Marshall; in comes a yet-unnamed visionary with indie cred, possibly Greta Gerwig or Ari Aster, to infuse the mer-fantasy with psychological depth. Visuals? Forget the 2023 film’s criticized CGI fish – this remake eyes practical effects and underwater shoots in the Red Sea, courtesy of the financier’s private yachts. And the budget? That $8 billion isn’t just for show: It’s earmarked for A-list cameos (think Timothée Chalamet as a brooding Prince Eric), original songs by rising stars like Sabrina Carpenter, and a marketing blitz rivaling the Olympics.

But here’s where the drama dives deep: Hollywood is splitting at the seams. Fans of the original – that bubbly, redheaded siren voiced by Jodi Benson, who even cameoed in the 2023 flick as a fork-wielding vendor – are howling betrayal. “Ariel isn’t some zombie-apocalypse survivor,” one viral X post lamented, echoing the platform’s 2023 echo chamber of purity tests. Ramsey’s casting, while a win for LGBTQ+ visibility, risks reigniting the race-and-representation wars that torpedoed Bailey’s debut. Back then, Bailey – half of the R&B duo Chloe x Halle – won plaudits from peers like Beyoncé and Lin-Manuel Miranda, who penned new tracks for the remake. Yet the backlash was brutal: Petitions, boycotts, and memes galore, with some dubbing it “The Woke Mermaid.” Now, with Ramsey – pale, androgynous, and unapologetically queer – stepping in, detractors smell blood. “From Blackwashing to gender-bending? Disney’s lost the plot,” a conservative commentator tweeted Friday, racking up 50K likes before deletion.

On the flip side, progressives are popping champagne. “Finally, an Ariel who mirrors my journey – trading fins for feet, voice for truth,” one TikTok influencer gushed, overlaying Ramsey’s Last of Us fight scenes with “Part of Your World” lyrics. Representation advocates point to Disney’s checkered history: From Brandy Norwood’s groundbreaking 1997 Cinderella to Anika Noni Rose’s trailblazing The Princess and the Frog, the Mouse House has chipped away at its Eurocentric princess pantheon. Bailey’s Ariel, despite the hate, inspired a generation of young Black girls, with leaked D23 footage of her belting “Part of Your World” reducing castmates like Jonah Hauer-King to tears. Ramsey, with their raw intensity, could do the same for non-binary youth – but only if the studio doesn’t flinch under fire.

Financially, it’s a high-wire act. Disney’s remake factory, once a mint ( Aladdin topped $1 billion, thanks to Middle Eastern market muscle), hit choppy waters with The Little Mermaid‘s underperformance. Recent bombs like Mulan‘s pandemic-fueled flop and Pinocchio‘s streaming shrug have execs sweating. Enter the billionaire: His injection dwarfs even the rumored $548 million “true” cost of the 2023 film, per box-office sleuths who argue Disney masked losses with creative accounting. Ties to Gulf money aren’t new – Prince Alwaleed’s past stakes in Fox greased wheels for Kingdom of Heaven – but $8 billion? That’s not investment; that’s conquest. Insiders whisper of strings attached: Softer depictions of regional politics in future Disney+ fare, or exclusive streaming rights in the Arab world. “He’s not buying a movie,” one exec confided. “He’s buying influence.”

As word spreads, the billionaire’s mystique grows. Is he a Hans Christian Andersen obsessive, haunted by the fairy tale’s tragic roots (where the little mermaid dissolves into foam)? Or a savvy disruptor, betting on controversy to eclipse Oppenheimer-level buzz? The memo hints at a personal vendetta: “The 2023 version dishonored the source – too sanitized, too safe. Bella brings the pain.” Ramsey, reached via rep, demurred: “Grateful for any chance to dive deep, but rumors are just bubbles.” Disney? Crickets, beyond a boilerplate “exploring innovative partnerships.”

This isn’t just a remake; it’s a referendum on Hollywood’s soul. Will Ariel’s Eclipse swim to glory, blending The Little Mermaid‘s whimsy with The Last of Us‘ grit? Or will it crash like Icarus into the sea, another cautionary tale of meddling moguls? With production slated for Q2 2026 and a 2028 release window, the wait is excruciating. One thing’s certain: In Tinseltown’s frothy depths, $8 billion buys more than fins – it buys a fight. And in the battle for Ariel’s heart, everyone’s got skin in the game.