Ragesh Dipu
Harry Styles will not be a part of the cast of Disney’s live-action remake of ‘Little Mermaid’ as he has respectfully declined the offer. The actor and singer, who is a fan of the project, was wrongly said to have been cast in the role of Prince Eric in ‘Little Mermaid’. AMC Theaters and Regal Cinemas, who made the claims, have since then deleted their posts. However, representatives from either of the two theaters declined to comment on the matter. The news was first reported by The Wrap.
Had he been cast, Styles would have appeared opposite Halle Bailey, known for her role in ‘Grown-ish‘. The actress and singer is playing the part of Ariel. Other stars who are involved in the project include Melissa McCarthy, who plays the part of Ursula, Jacob Tremblay who lends his voice to Flounder, and Awkwafina, who voices Scuttle. ‘Little Mermaid’ is being directed by Rob Marshall. The script has been written by David Magee. Marc Platt, who has worked with Marshall on ‘Mary Poppins Returns’, besides producing Guy Ritchie’s ‘Aladdin‘, is on board as a producer. The other producers include Marshall himself, Lin-Manuel Miranda and John DeLuca. The live-action remake is going to feature many of the original songs from the 1989 animated classic that was composed by Alan Menken and Howard Ashman. There will also be some new songs with Menken’s music and Miranda’s lyrics.
‘Little Mermaid’ follows Ariel, a mermaid in her teenage, who harbors dreams of living on the surface world and being married to Prince Eric. The mermaid’s fortune changes when she meets a sea witch, Ursula, who makes her an offer of sending her to the surface world in exchange for her wonderful singing voice. The original movie won two Oscars, for Best Original Score and Best Original Song for ‘Under the Sea’. It is needless to say that ‘Little Mermaid’ was a massive hit when it came out about 30 years ago and is often credited for sparking a renaissance in Disney animations.
As far as Harry Styles is concerned, the One Direction band member made his acting debut in ‘Dunkirk‘, the World War II epic helmed by Christopher Nolan. Styles was also being considered to play the part of Elvis Presley in Baz Luhrmann’s upcoming movie musical which stars Tom Hanks. The part of Presley ultimately went to Austin Butler.
The production for ‘Little Mermaid’ is expected to begin in early 2020.
