Halle Bailey To Play Ariel In Walt Disney’s Live-Action Adaptation Of “The Little Mermaid"

Halle Bailey has been roped in for Walt Disney Studios’ live-action remake of its animated classic, The Little Mermaid (1989). Bailey, who with her sister forms R&B duo Chloe X Halle, has been signed by the studio to essay the character of Ariel, the rebellious daughter of King Triton who longs to live on dry land.

The 19-year-old Halle, who has been chosen after an extensive search, took to micro-blogging site Twitter to describe that it was a dream come true. She also tweeted a photo of herself as a cartoon Ariel. This is the first time Disney has signed on a woman of colour to play the role of a traditionally white princess.

Talking about what led the team to cast Halle Bailey in the role of Ariel, director Rob Marshall said,

Halle Bailey and her sister Chloe found success when their cover of Pretty Hurts by Beyoncé got the attention of the superstar herself. They were subsequently signed to Parkwood Entertainment in 2015 and opened for Beyoncé during her Formation World Tour. There has been no looking back ever since. Both sisters are actors also and star together in US sitcom Grown-ish.

Besides Halle Bailey, Awkwafina and Jacob Tremblay have been reportedly signed on to play Scuttle and Flounder, respectively. Melissa McCarthy has been cast to play the character of the sea witch Ursula, the main villain in the story.

The live-action remake of The Little Mermaid is expected to be rolled into theatres in 2020, featuring music from the original 1989 animated classic, as well as new music. Original composer Alan Menken has teamed up with Lin-Manuel Miranda, with Menken scoring music and co-writing new lyrics with Miranda.