Halle Bailey Will Play Ariel In Disney's Live-Action Little Mermaid

She's got gadgets and gizmos aplenty and, right now, Halle Bailey is getting more. The Chloe x Halle member and Grown-ish actress just secured her first lead role in a feature film as Ariel in Disney's The Little Mermaid live-action adaptation.


Soon following the news hit the press, Bailey took to Twitter to react. "Dream come true..." She wrote, from the official Chloe x Halle account. She also attached an image of Ariel, updated to better mirror her likeness than the red-haired teen we're used to seeing.


The movie will be directed by Rob Marshall, who previously helmed Mary Poppins Returns and Into the Woods for the studio, and yes it will feature the 1989 animated feature's original music by Alan Menken and Howard Ashman, and also new songs from Menken and Lin-Manuel Miranda.


Marshall praised Bailey in a statement announcing the big news. “After an extensive search, it was abundantly clear that Halle possesses that rare blend of spirit, heart, youth, innocence, substance — and also a glorious singing voice — all intrinsic qualities needed to play this iconic role,” he said.


Bailey's casting is the initial official news direct from Disney, however countless outlets have announced that Melissa McCarthy is in talks to be the poor, unfortunate soul cast as iconic villain Ursula, Jacob Tremblay is being eyed to voice Ariel's trusty fish sidekick, Flounder, and Awkwafina is vying for the role of Scuttle, Ariel's above-the-waterline seagull friend and human-things aficionado.


Luckily, we won't have to wait also much longer to learn whether there's truth in back all of the rumors. According to the studio, we can expect some more verified casting news in the coming weeks.