Halle Bailey Set To Play Ariel In Disney’s Remake Of ‘The Little Mermaid’

It has been revealed that Halle Bailey from R&B duo Chloe x Halle will be playing the role of Ariel in Disney’s live-action remake of The Little Mermaid, per Variety.

“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,” director Rob Marshall said in a statement.

The cast also includes Jacob Tremblay and Awkwafina, while Variety also reports that Melissa McCarthy is in talks to play the role of Ursula.

“‘The Little Mermaid’ will incorporate original songs from the 1989 animated hit as well as new tunes from original composer Alan Menken and ‘Hamilton’ creator Lin-Manuel Miranda. Miranda is also producing the film along with Marshall, Marc Platt and John DeLuca.”

The original film was first released in 1989 and became a Disney classic. After grossing over $233 million dollars at the box office, there were many sequels and spinoffs created.

For those who aren’t familiar with Halle, she is a 19-year-old singer who is also a successful actress in her own right.

Bailey, who is one half of Chloe x Halle, started doing covers of pop songs on YouTube with her older sister, Chloe. Their cover of Beyonce’s “Pretty Hurts” got noticed by Beyonce herself, which kickstarted their music career. The “Crazy In Love” hitmaker signed the duo to her label, Parkwood Entertainment, in 2015 and the rest was history.

After releasing their debut EP, Uncovered, in 2013 they released their first EP under Beyonce’s label, Sugar Symphony, in 2016. They released their debut mix-tape, The Two of Us, the following year.

In 2018, they released their debut album, The Kids Are Alright, which peaked at No. 139 on the U.S. Billboard 200, and No. 19 on the U.S. R&B album charts.

That same year, they were nominated for Best Group and BET Her at the BET Awards, Best New Artist and Push Artist of the Year at the MTV Video Music Awards, Best Push Artist at the MTV Europe Music Awards, and Album Of the Year at the Soul Train Music Awards. This year, they got nominated for their first two Grammy Awards — Best New Artist and Best Urban Contemporary Album.

As for acting, the pair both have their fair share of experience. They both starred in the movie Last Holiday in 2006 and currently are playing the roles of Jazlyn and Skylar in the television series, Grown-ish.

On Instagram, their joint account has a loyal following of 1.7 million followers.