Disney’s live-action The Little Mermaid has cast Halle Bailey to play Ariel.
Disney has now confirmed that Bailey is playing Ariel in the live-action Little Mermaid, with Marshall releasing a statement saying “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 film will mark the R&B singer’s feature debut, though she’s recently played a supporting role on the Black-ish TV show spinoff Grown-ish.
The Disney reboot has been busy lately filling out its cast, from side characters to villains. Right now, Jacob Tremblay and Awkwafina are being considered for the respective roles of Flounder and Scuttle, two of Ariel’s companions on her journey. Melissa McCarthy is in talks to play Ursula, the sea witch who turns Ariel human and, in the process, steals her voice.
The Little Mermaid will follow in the footsteps of other Disney reboots by including songs both classic and new. Original The Little Mermaid composer Alan Menken returns to pen the film’s new music, while Lin-Manuel Miranda is slated to provide lyrics.
According to Disney’s press release, additional casting announcements for The Little Mermaid will be arriving over the next few weeks, well ahead of production getting underway in early 2020.
Source: ScreenRant
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