Even though Disney is already working on a number of live-action remakes, it seems the House of Mouse is showing no signs of slowing things down anytime soon. Aside from all their confirmed projects, we’ve heard reports that the company is also planning to reimagine classic films and franchises such as The Rocketeer, Tarzan and even Bambi.Â
Of course, most of these rumors should be taken with a grain of salt, considering they haven’t been confirmed. The same can’t be said though for this new piece of casting information that comes to us by way of Disney Insider, who report that Harry Styles (formerly a member of the boy band One Direction) has officially signed on to play Prince Eric in the upcoming live-action remake of The Little Mermaid.
If this decision seems rather out of left field, you should know Styles does have some experience with acting. He made his big screen debut in Christopher Nolan’s Dunkirk, where he played a young British soldier named Alex. How he’ll fare in Disney’s upcoming remake remains to be seen, but he’s certainly an inspired choice.
As for the rest of the cast, we know that Halle Bailey (best known for her work on Grown-ish) will be taking on the role of Ariel, and it’s been reported that Melissa McCarthy is being eyed to play Ursula. Similarly, we’ve heard both Jacob Tremblay and Awkwafina are in talks to voice Flounder and Scuttle, respectively.
The Little Mermaid is set to begin production in January 2020, and Rob Marshall is attached to direct. With the D23 expo kicking off next week, we’ll surely learn more about the project at that point, so stay tuned for further updates.
