It looks like Terry Crews is making an informal bid for the part of King Triton in The Little Mermaid after the Brooklyn Nine-Nine star shared some hilarious fan art featuring his upper body photoshopped onto Triton’s fish tail. R&B singer Halle Bailey was recently cast as Ariel, and The Little Mermaid will be her feature film debut, though Black-ish fans may recognize her from her supporting role as Sky Forster on the spinoff show Grown-ish.
The reaction to Bailey’s casting ranged from hilariously misinterpreted to problematic. Some people confused Bailey’s name for Halle Berry and thought the John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum star, who is in her 50s, had been cast as Ariel. Others were affronted that a woman of color had been cast in a role that they thought should be played by a white woman, as Ariel in Disney’s 1989 animation was a white redhead. Most Little Mermaid fans, however, were pleased with the news that a talented singer like Bailey had nabbed the role and would do its musical numbers justice, and they're already imagining what Bailey will look like as Ariel.
Now that's it's known Ariel will be played by a woman of color, it makes sense that King Triton will be portrayed by a man of color as well - hence Terry Crews’ hilarious Instagram post, which you can check out below. If Terry’s King Triton casting dream does come true, he could find himself starring alongside rapper and actress Awkwafina (Crazy Rich Asians), Jason Tremblay (Room), and Melissa McCarthy, who are all in talks to join the cast of The Little Mermaid as Scuttle, Flounder, and Ursula, respectively.
As for who else could be a contender for the role of King Triton? Since news of Bailey’s casting broke, many film fans have been pushing for Idris Elba to get the part. That said, Crews’ King Triton fan art seems to have gained him a lot of support too, and it certainly provides a useful (and funny) visual. Judging by the internet reaction, it seems Crews and Elba are currently neck and neck when it comes to fan-casting the role.
Crews and Elba hype aside, The Little Mermaid isn’t scheduled to start production until 2020, so it could be a while before it's finally revealed who will end up playing King Triton. In the meantime, at least there are some fellow live-action remakes, like The Lion King and Mulan, for fans to look forward to.
Source: Terry Crews