Disney’s live-action Little Mermaid remake has finally found its star. Actress Halle Bailey, best known for her role on the sitcom Grown-ish, has been cast as Ariel in the movie, which is expected to begin filming early in 2020.
“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,” director Rob Marshall said in a press release.
The film “will feature beloved songs from the animated classic by Alan Menken and Howard Ashman, as well as new songs by Menken (music) and Lin-Manuel Miranda (lyrics)”.
If you’re wondering if Bailey can sing, uh, here’s her on a track for the A Wrinkle in Time soundtrack. The answer is yes, she can.
All of that is straight from the Mouse itself. Official. Confirmed. However, the press release doesn’t mention the other castings that have been reported this week. It only says “Additional announcements regarding The Little Mermaid are expected in the coming weeks”.
But, odds are those announcements are going to be that Melissa McCarthy is Ursula, while Jacob Tremblay is voicing Flounder and Awkwafina is voicing Scuttle. All of those negotiations are still in early talks, but likely to be final soon — and there are still plenty of roles left to fill going forward.
Bailey tweeted this soon after news broke:
dream come true… ????????♀️???? pic.twitter.com/sndjYUS6wO
— chloe x halle (@chloexhalle) July 3, 2019
If production is starting next year, The Little Mermaid may not be in cinemas until 2022, but that’s just speculation. A release date, and more casting, is sure to be coming soon.