Following the recent casting of Halle Bailey as Ariel in Disney’s upcoming live-action take on The Little Mermaid, the movie has now found who’ll be getting the chance to “kiss the girl”.
Via The Hollywood Reporter, Harry Styles has signed on to play Prince Eric in this new take on an old favourite. Now while Styles may seem like a slightly left-field choice, you have to remember that the One Direction star did impress in Christopher Nolan’s Dunkirk back in 2017. Since then, he’s been looking to explore the acting world in a larger way, including auditioning for the lead role in Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis Presley biopic.
As for Prince Eric, The Little Mermaid sees him fall in love with Ariel after she saves him from drowning. This love story takes an eerie twist when the nefarious Ursula manages to get Ariel to swamp her star singing voice for a pair of legs that would allow for her to join her new beau on land.
Currently, only Bailey and Styles are the confirmed cast members for The Little Mermaid, although Jacob Tremblay and Awkwafina having held talks to join the film – not to mention, Melissa McCarthy in negotiations to play the aforementioned villain of the piece, Ursula.
Mary Poppins Returns’ Rob Marshall is on directing duties for The Little Mermaid, as the House of Mouse eyes an early 2020 production start date. The film has yet to be given a release date.