Halle Bailey will play Ariel in the live-action ‘The Little Mermaid’
Halle Bailey is your new Ariel.
On Wednesday, Disney announced that the singer and actress has been cast as the lead of its live-action adaptation of “The Little Mermaid.” Half of the musical sister act Chloe x Halle, Bailey is known for her role as Skylar Forster on Freeform’s “Grown-ish.”
“Dreams do come true,” tweeted Bailey to celebrate the news.
“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,” said “The Little Mermaid” director Rob Marshall in a statement.
Directed by Marshall, this reimagining will feature songs from the 1989 animated classic by Alan Menken and Howard Ashman as well as new music from Menken and Lin-Manuel Miranda. Attached to produce are Marshall, Miranda, John DeLuca and Marc Platt.
The animated “Little Mermaid” is widely acknowledged as the movie that helped kick off the Disney Renaissance. Other films from that era that have already been adapted into live-action films include “Beauty and the Beast,” “Aladdin” and the upcoming “The Lion King.”
Disney has yet to announce any additional castings, but other actors rumored to be in talks include Melissa McCarthy as Ursula, Jacob Tremblay as Flounder and Awkwafina as Scuttle.
Musician Lizzo has made it known that she is vying for the role of live-action Ursula. Her fans have even started an online petition to help her case.
Production on “The Little Mermaid” is expected to begin in early 2020.
Twitter: @tracycbrown
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