Despite the fact that Disney already has a handful of live-action remakes in the work – The Lion King is set to hit theaters this Friday, for one – it looks like the House of Mouse is already moving forward with yet another reimagining of one of their classic animated films.
Aside from 2020’s Mulan – whose debut trailer proved to be a big hit – the entertainment giant is working on a brand new Little Mermaid film. Grown-ish actress Halle Bailey (not to be confused with Halle Berry) is set to play the role of Ariel, and it looks like Disney has started to narrow down their search for the mermaid’s love interest. As reported by both Collider and The Hollywood Reporter, Harry Styles has entered early talks to play Prince Eric.
Styles, who’s perhaps best known for his boy-band career with One Direction, made his big screen debut in Christopher Nolan’s Dunkirk, where he played a young British soldier named Alex. It’s worth noting that neither outlet has a source listed, but seeing as how their stories went live within minutes of each other, it’s likely that both Collider and The Hollywood Reporter have spoken to the same industry insider.
At the time of writing, there’s not much else to go on when it comes to casting information. It’s been widely reported that Melissa McCarthy is in talks to play Ursula though, with Jacob Tremblay and Awkwafina hammering out deals to voice Flounder and Scuttle.
In terms of the creative staff, it looks like Disney aren’t mining for new talent – Rob Marshall is handling directing duties, and Lin-Manuel Miranda will compose and write a new song for the film. A release date, meanwhile, has not been officially set, but The Little Mermaid is expected to hit theaters sometime in the next few years. As always, keep watching this space for more.