Disney’s live-action remake train just keeps on rolling, and the next stop is the live-action version of The Little Mermaid. There’s a lot of talk about who is in negotiation for the different parts but it looks like we’re confirmed on our lead, the titular mermaid herself. Singer Halle Bailey will be the film’s Ariel.
Bailey is a singer by trade, part of the R&B duo Chloe x Halle, but she has been doing acting work in the spin-off Grown-ish. And as expected, the casting of a Black actress as Ariel, who is white in the original animated film, has caused some conversation:
https://twitter.com/evanmcswag992/status/1146612738363293696
Fact box: the Little Mermaid lives on a TROPICAL CORAL REEF with a calypso-singing lobster with a strong Jamaican accent. When you think about it, it's bizarre she was white the first time around.
— Caitlin Moran (@caitlinmoran) July 4, 2019
https://twitter.com/iwannanina/status/1146742205836595200
https://twitter.com/CynthiaEriVo/status/1146755809222823936
https://twitter.com/calixXxforever/status/1146620685185216512
Do all the people moaning about the top half of the Little Mermaid have an opinion on what type of fish the bottom half is?
— Mr Holland ⭐⭐ (@nmber48) July 4, 2019
The casting for the live action Little Mermaid is complete BS and I am outraged
OUTRAGED
I demand a more racially accurate mythological fish human hybrid and I demand she seduce men by singing and drive them to their deaths in order to be more sensitive to mermaid culture https://t.co/VaiKrEFJHL
— Tim Pool (@Timcast) July 4, 2019
“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 director Rob Marshall in a statement.
There are other negotiations in the air. Melissa McCarthy is in talks to play the villain Ursula the Sea Witch. There is two more confirmed cast members: Jacob Tremblay playing fishy side-kick Flounder and Awkwafina as the mixed-up seagull Scuttle. Marc Platt, Marshall, Lin-Manuel Miranda, and John DeLuca will all produce. Alan Menken, the original film’s composer, will be back to write new music with Miranda working on lyrics.
Production on The Little Mermaid is set to begin in early 2020.
