Halle of the Beyonce-approved duo, Chloe x Halle, was just cast to play Ariel in Disney's live-action remake of the legendary The Little Mermaid. Previously, we've reported on the ongoing debate surrounding the casting choice for the Ursula. While Melissa McCarthy was being strongly considered for the role, social media users have stepped in to let it be known that they wanted Lizzo to be considered in the casting choices. As such, a lot of back and forth is still ongoing with regards to that, but we can confirm based on Variety reports that Ariel was cast. Rob Marshall, the director behind the remake in progress, issued a statement to justify the decision.
"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," he shared. As Halle joins the Disney cast by playing the role of Ariel, she will be featuring what many expect will be quite a star-studded cast. Thus far, we count Jacob Tremblay as Awkwafina and as previously mentioned, we are still waiting on the word for who will play Ursula. We expect further details on this, but congratulations to Halle Bailey on her first feature film debut!