People have taken to the internet with fan art imagining what Halle Bailey will look like as Ariel in Disney's live-action The Little Mermaid remake. Disney continues to earn big box office returns on the live-action reimaginings of their classic animated films, and shows no signs of slowing down in the foreseeable future. They've still got two scheduled to arrive this year alone (The Lion King and Lady and the Tramp - the latter through Disney+), followed by Mulan and the 101 Dalmatians prequel Cruella in 2020.
Disney's Little Mermaid remake is also rapidly moving forward, and is currently aiming to start production early next year. Melissa McCarthy, Awkwafina, and Jacob Tremblay are all in talks for roles right now, but the biggest story this week is that singer-actress Bailey (of Chloe x Halle) has been officially cast as Ariel herself. People are clearly excited by the news too, as evidenced by the influx of related fan art online since the announcement.
Famed fan artist BossLogic has since unveiled his rendering of The Little Mermaid poster with Bailey as Ariel striking her famous pose from the 1989 animated movie's "Part of Your World" sequence. You can check it out below, along with similar artwork depicting Bailey as Ariel by Alice X. Zhang, Nilah Magruder, and Hayden Williams.
The expected racist reactions aside, the general response to Bailey's casting has been universally positive. Most people are clearly enthralled by the idea of a black live-action Disney princess being played by a up and coming musical talent, and this fan art is proof of that. Similarly, Bailey's casting has helped to distinguish The Little Mermaid from the other Disney animated movies turned live-action retellings that are currently in the works. While a number of these remakes come off as unnecessary cash-grabs ahead of their release, this film promises to actually bring something new to the table. That's further reflected in the other casting selections so far - namely, McCarthy as Ursula, Awkwafina as Scuttle, and Tremblay as Flounder.
The Little Mermaid also seems to be in safe hands behind the camera so far, with director Rob Marshall calling the shots from a script by his Mary Poppins Returns writer David Magee, and an earlier draft by Jane Goldman (Stardust, Kingsman). Meanwhile, Lin-Manuel Miranda is working with Alan Menken on some new songs for the film, to go with the classic tunes like "Under the Sea" and "Poor Unfortunate Souls". Suffice it to say, it will be fun to see what they come up with for Bailey to perform.
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