(Getty Images)
Channing Tatum will play a mermaid in an upcoming remake of the 1984 movie, Splash, it was announced on Monday. Fans are now reacting on Twitter to the offbeat casting decision. See fan reactions below!
The gender-swapped remake will have Tatum playing the role originated by Daryl Hannah, while Jillian Bell will take on the Tom Hanks part. The original film featured Hanks’ character reuniting and falling in love with a mermaid who saved him from drowning as a boy, but in the new version, Tatum will play a mermaid who saves Bell’s character as a young girl. Ron Howard, who directed the original movie, will serve as a producer on the reimagining of the classic romantic comedy.
Reacting to the casting news, one excited fan wrote, “If mermaid channing tatum isn’t the answer to your dreams i’m not sure i can relate to u as a human.” Another person added, “Channing Tatum was destined to play a mermaid. Destined.” And third similarly expressed, “God bless Channing Tatum’s career decisions.”
Meanwhile, one person joked, “Channing Tatum is now playing a mermaid. Sometimes, I feel like Channing’s career is the savvy version of Rob Schneider’s career.” Upon hearing she would get to see what Tatum looks like as a mermaid, one woman said, “Perhaps there is some light yet in this dark world,” while another fan added, “Channing Tatum as a merman in the Splash remake is the most perfect thing.”
Another fan referenced the lack of backlash over the news, even though Ghostbusters was bashed online after its characters’ genders were flipped. The person amusingly noted, “Men: Female Ghostbusters are ruining my childhood! Women: Channing Tatum as a merman is completing my adulthood!” Suffice to say, most fans seem to be on board with Tatum as a mermaid.
