Singer Halle Bailey is set to play Ariel in Disney’s live-action version of ‘The Little Mermaid.
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The 19-year-old singer who rose to fame in 2013 thanks to the Queen of Pop, Beyoncé, said it was a ‘dream come true’ to play the role.
Director Rob Marshall said in a statement: “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.”
Halle also confirmed the amazing news on social media, showing Twitter fans a look at the new African American Ariel. She wrote on Twitter: “dream come true…”
Ariel wore her signature purple shell bikini and green tail while appearing with brown eyes, dark skin, and black hair.
The photo was created in 2015 when artist Dylan Bonner was commission by Brian Flynn to make illustrations of Disney princesses in the image of his partner Maninai Gupta.
Filming is expected to start in early 2020.
Celebrities took to social media to congratulate the decision. Maddie Baillio said it was the ‘perfect casting’ while Zendaya wrote she was ‘here for thisssss!’
The casting is not yet complete but the movie will also see 31-year-old Awkwafina as Scuttle and 12-year-old Jacob Tremblay as Flounder.
While Halle, Awkwafina and Jacob’s roles are set in place, the character of the evil sea witch Ursula is still undecided.
Twitter user NiceNurse22 wrote: “If your Egyptian adaptations (actually historical) can be white people, Ariel (a fictional character) can be black.”
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