Chloe x Halle’s Halle Bailey has been cast as Ariel for Disney’s next live-action film, The Little Mermaid. The role will be the young singer’s film debut.
Directed by Rob Marshall, the film will be featuring a star-studded cast including Bacon Tremblay, Awkwafina and potentially Melissa McCarthy. The script itself is written by David Magee, with Jane Goldman having written a previous draft.
The storyline itself will follow the original story. The Disney classic tells the tale of a young mermaid who leaves the ocean to pursue true love and life as a human. Along the way, she runs into a sea witch, deception and life-threatening adversaries. In recent years, Disney has been continuously recreating their animated classics as live-action renditions, and this will likely be a larger-than-life production as well.
Bailey marks the first black woman cast as a traditionally all-white cartoon Disney character, asides for rare characters like Mulan and Tiana. Disney’s initiative to diversify its live-action films is commendable, especially in current social climates. While Disney’s casting decision will surely cause controversy, it’s a conversation about racial representation that’s long overdue.
And of course, getting to hear Bailey sing “Part of Your World” will be quite a blessing. Stay tuned to hear more details.
Click here to view full gallery at HYPEBAE