Disney has just cast Halle Bailey as Ariel, the little mermaid.
Bailey, who with her sister forms R&B duo Chloe x Halle, has nabbed the starring role in Disney’s live-action remake of The Little Mermaid. On the casting, Director Rob Marshall said this in a statement:
“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.”
Immediately after the casting, social media roared to life with both positive and negative feedback concerning, of course, the color of her skin. Now I don’t hide the fact that I’m against race-swapping and gender-bending previously established characters, but once the casting is done, I get over it. Plus, it’s hard to argue against Disney’s decision when there’s fan art by Alice X. Zhang (@alicexz) showing how great this casting could be.
An early 2020 production start is being planned. Bailey joins Jacob Tremblay, Awkwafina, and Melissa McCarthy, who were previously cast.
Who do you want see cast as King Triton and Eric?
