The Little Mermaid has found its Ariel. Disney has announced that singer Halle Bailey will take on the lead role in the live-action adaptation of the Disney classic.
Bailey, and her sister forms R&B duo Chloe x Halle and is quite popular with the younger demographic. Director Rob Marshall had this to say about Bailey’s casting:
“After an extensive search, it was abundantly clear that Halle possesses that rare combination of spirit, heart, youth, innocence and substance — plus a glorious singing voice — all intrinsic qualities necessary to play this iconic role.”
The Little Mermaid casting has been quite hot since last weekend. It was announced that Melissa McCarthy is in talks to play Ursula, although no official deal has been set. Singer Lizzo also threw her hat into the Ursula ring when her fans made a public Twitter outcry about why she should be cast instead. It was then announced earlier this week that Jacob Tremblay and Awkwafina were also in talks to join the picture, providing the voices for their CGI counterparts. Tremblay would voice Flounder, Ariel’s best friend and Awkwafina would take on Scuttle, the seagull friend of the red-headed princess.
The live-action film will showcase all the well-known songs and also have new material. Original composer Alan Menken is teaming with Lin-Manuel Miranda, with Menken composing and co-writing new lyrics with Miranda.
Marc Platt, who worked with Marshall on Mary Poppin Returns and executive produced Guy Ritchie’s live-action Aladdin remake, is producing. Marshall and John DeLuca are also producing Little Mermaid, as is Miranda. An early 2020 production start is being planned.
As for Bailey, she is best known as one-half of Chloe x Halle, who signed to Beyoncé’s Parkwood Entertainment label after gaining popularity with YouTube covers. The Little Mermaid would be a breakout role for Bailey, whose only other screen credit is as a supporting player on Freeform’s Yara Shahidi series Grown-ish.
