‘Splash’ Cast, Film Updates: Tom Hanks Reacts to Channing Tatum’s Casting as Merman in Gender-Swapped Remake; Jenna Dewan Jokes about Husband’s Costume

‘Splash’ original star Tom Hanks finally reacted to Channing Tatum’s casting as a merman in the new gender-swapped remake of Ron Howard’s original mermaid film released on 1984. Meanwhile, Tatum’s wife Jenna Dewan joked about her husband’s costume in a Twitter post.

During an interview with ET, Hanks was asked about his thoughts on Tatum being a merman in the upcoming reboot of the classic fantasy-romance film of the same name from the 1980s. Hanks replied, "Fantastic! Why not?... Give it a shot!"

Hanks played lead protagonist Allen Bauer in Ron Howard’s film released on March 1984.  It follows a man who falls in love with a mysterious woman who is secretly a mermaid. Daryl Hannah plays the mermaid Madison.

Howard’s film was well-received by critics and was deemed a financial success. According to The Numbers, it earned $62.59 million at the domestic box office on a production budget of $8 million. It is also most notable for being the first film ever released under the Walt Disney Studios’ Touchstone Pictures label under the Walt Disney Pictures label, which was created to appeal to mature audiences.

The original film also received an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Screenplay prepared by Lowell Ganz, Babaloo Mandel, and Bruce Jay Friedman.

The gender-swapped remake will feature Tatum as the merman while Jillian Bell will play the human protagonist. Hank said, "Jillian Bell is going to have a blast… She's just got to love that guy." Tatum is best known for his roles in films such as the ‘Step Up’ cinematic series, ‘G.I. Joe’, ’21 Jump Street’ and its sequels, and the ‘Magic Mike’ series.

Hanks teased, "Channing Tatum? What a doof! But if [Jillian] can find some reason to be attracted to him, I'm rooting for her." Bell is also known for her work on ’22 Jump Street’, ‘Goosebumps’, and ‘The Angry Birds Movie’.

Meanwhile, Tatum’s wife Jenna Dewan couldn’t help but take a crack at her husband’s brand new merman role. According to E! News, the 35-year old dancer and actress shared a photograph of herself in purple fins on Twitter with the caption, “That time I was trying on @channingtatum costume for Splash and everyone thought I was announcing a pregnancy #tbt.”

‘Splash’ is an upcoming comedy film in early stages of development. It is based on Ron Howard’s 1984 film of the same name starring Tom Hanks and Daryl Hannah.