The 22-year-old part-Puerto Rican actress/singer has joined the ensemble cast of Paramount Pictures’ new Mean Girls film based on the TonyAward-nominated Broadway musical.
Cravalho, who will portray Janis, will be joined by Angourie Rice,Reneé Rapp and Jaquel Spivey.
Lorne Michaels is producing with Tina Fey. Erin David, Caroline Maroney and Micah Frank are overseeing for Broadway Video, and Eric Gurian and Jeff Richmond for Little Stranger. Arturo Perez and Samantha Jayne are directing with Fey writing the adaptation.
The film is based on the stage musical Mean Girls written by Fey, with music by Richmond and lyrics by Nell Benjamin. Paramount Pictures is adapting the new film for Paramount+.
Best known for voicing the titular character in the Disney hit animated film Moana, Cravalho was most recently seen in Netflix’s feature film All Together Nowdirected by Brett Haley and as Ariel in ABC’s acclaimed television production of The Little Mermaid Live. She can currently be seen in Hulu’s Darby of the Dead.
The 18-year-old part-Puerto Rican singer/actress, who recently starred as Ariel on The Little Mermaid Live!, will co-star opposite Leslie Mann in The Power, Amazon‘s 10-episode global thriller drama series based on Naomi Alderman’s feminist sci-fi book.
Hailing from Jane Featherstone’s Sister Pictures, the project was adapted for screen by Alderman, who’s working alongside an all-female writers’ room.
In The Power, all teenage girls in the world develop the power to electrocute people at will. It’s hereditary, it’s inbuilt, and it can’t be taken away from them. Coming alive to the thrill of pure power: the ability to hurt or even kill by releasing electrical jolts from their fingertips, they rapidly learn they can awaken the Power in older women. Soon enough nearly every woman in the world can do it. And then everything is different.
The subversive, multi-stranded narrative follows a series of characters including Allie, a vulnerable American foster kid who reinvents herself as a faith leader; Roxy, the daughter of a London crime boss, who revels in her new abilities; Tunde, a Nigerian journalist reporting on seismic global change; and Margot Cleary – Lopez (Mann), Mayor of Seattle; loving wife and doting mother to three kids. At least that’s what her official campaign website would tell you.
Cravalho is playing Margot’s (Mann) daughter, Jos. As Margot’s career takes flight, it’s her husband Rob and daughter Jos who privately feel the effects of her success most keenly; for one of them, where previously there was conflict now comes a greater understanding, and for the other where there was love, comes hurt and betrayal.
The Power was created by Alderman, who is executive producing alongside Reed Morano, who is directing.
Cravalho most recently starred as the title character in ABC’s highly-rated The Wonderful World of Disney Presents The Little Mermaid Live!special.
She’s currently in production as the lead of the Brett Haley’s Netflix film Sorta Like a Rock Star. The actress, who burst onto the scene as the title character in the Disneyanimated hit Moana, has also appeared on NBC’s drama series Rise.
Auli’i Cravalho has delivered a memorable under the sea adventures
ABC’s The Little Mermaid Live!premiered on Wednesday with the 18-year-old part-Puerto Rican actress/singer in the title role as Ariel.
During the broadcast, the Moanastar donned the Disney princess’s famous purple seashells and mermaid tail to deliver a technologically wonderous performance of “Part of Your World.”
“What would I give if I could live out of these waters?/ What would I pay to spend a day warm on the sand?/ Betcha on land, they understand/ Bet they don’t reprimand their daughters/ Bright young women/ Sick of swimmin’/ Ready to stand,” Cravalho sang as she soared across the sea — with the help of an intricate, on-stage fly system.
For the rest of the number, she swam around the stage to audience cheers below before settling back onto the rock for the song’s hopeful closing moments.
The Little Mermaid Live! also starred Queen Latifah as Ursula, Graham Phillips as Prince Eric, Shaggy as Sebastian and John Stamos as Chef Louis.
Cravalho, who will portray Janis, will be joined by Angourie Rice, Reneé Rapp and Jaquel Spivey.
