Disney’s new take on The Little Mermaid casts Halle Bailey as Ariel!
Disney is loving live action remakes at the moment. The Lion King, Aladdin, Dumbo… you name it, you can now view it in an all-new take on the big screen. And now, add to that list the 1989 Oscar-winning The Little Mermaid, which will now be re-told in full live-action glory complete with the original’s songs and magical charm.
Rob Marshall is Directing after previously working with the House of Mouse on Into The Woods and Pirates Of The Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (wasn’t there a mermaid in there somewhere?). He also recently directed Mary Poppins Returns for Disney, which starred Musical maestro Lin-Manuel Miranda who he’ll be teaming up with again on Little Mermaid as he is on song-writing duties.
The journey to the bottom of the sea began back in 2017, when Disney offered the role of Director to Marshall, but things have been quiet since. That is, until this week when news popped up that Melissa McCarthy was in talks to take on the role of Ursula in the remake, and that Jacob Tremblay and Awkafina were potentially being eyed for lovable duo Flounder and Scuttle… but who would play the leading lady Ariel?
And now, we know.
Disney has announced that newcomer Halle Bailey will be playing the leading role of Ariel in the live-action remake of The Little Mermaid:
“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,” Rob Marshall stated.
And although it’s been a long couple of months meeting with talent and searching for Ariel, insiders say Halle has been a frontrunner from the beginning. The Little Mermaid is her feature-film debut, but she is no newcomer to the fame game. She’s been making waves as one half of R&B duo Chloe x Halle which she formed with her sister in 2015, rising to Youtube fame by covering Beyonce before being discovered and signed by B herself. Since then, they’ve opened for her on the Lemonade tour, and Halle has also appeared in Grown-Ish, the Black-Ish spinoff.
The R&B duo celebrated by posting this ace artwork on their Twitter:
Disney’s announcement also stated that things are heating up ahead of shooting in 2020, with more casting news coming soon.
Disney’s current run of live-action remakes is certainly dividing opinion – are they unnecessary re-runs, or much-needed updates to outdated tales? They are certainly giving it a good go, and it’s encouraging to see more princesses of colour entering into Disney’s repertoire, with Mulan coming next year too.
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