Halle Bailey will star as Ariel in Disney’s remake of The Little Mermaid
Still no word on whether Lizzo will nab the role of Ursula.
Disney just keeps pumping out the live action remakes. If the spins on The Jungle Book, Dumbo, Mary Poppins, Aladdin, and soon The Lion King haven't been enough for you, fear not: we've still got The Lady and the Tramp, Mulan, and eventually, The Little Mermaid to look forward to. There's been a lot of chatter about who will play who in the, especially with Lizzo's ongoing campaign to cast herself as Ursula.
Jury's still out on whether she or Melissa McCarthy will nab that role, but in the mean time, Disney has officially cast Halle Bailey (of Chloe x Halle) as the lead role, Ariel. Rob Marshall, who will direct the film, said in a statement on Wednesday that "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."
Production on the film is due to start in early 2020 — get your gadgets, gizmos, whosits and whatsits in order.