The Little Mermaid: Disney finds their Ariel in Halle Bailey; Spider Man: Far From Home star Zendaya REACTS

On one hand, Disney is inching towards releasing the live-action version of The Lion King with Donald Glover and Beyonce in the lead. On the other, the Mouse House has announced that they have found their Ariel for The Little Mermaid live-action movie. It was previously reported that the production house is working on a slew of live-action movies. The Little Mermaid was one among them. Casting rumours were making the headlines until Disney announced htat Halle Bailey will be voicing the iconic mermaid. 

For the unversed, the actress-singer is one half of the R&B duo Chloe x Halle. The 16-year-old singer has crooned "Shine Bright" for Trolls and "Warrior" for A Wrinkle In Time with her sister Chloe. Director Rob Marshall has been handed over the helm of the live-action project. As per Variety, the singer has been the frontrunner to the project since the casting talks began. 

“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,” Marshall said in a statement, the international outlet reported. The news of Bailey's casting comes days after it was confirmed that The Little Mermaid's cast line will feature Jacob Tremblay and Awkwafina. Now that the lead has been confirmed, we are excited to know who will be the vicious Ursula. It has been reported that Melissa McCarthy is in talks to play Ursula. 

Before Bailey's name was confirmed, rumours were doing the rounds suggesting that Spider-Man: Far From Home actress was in the running for Ariel. The speculations began after the actress dyed her hair red. While there has been no official statement that Zendaya was in the running, the actress has taken to social media to congratulate Bailey over her casting. She retweeted the casting confirmation and wrote, "Yeeeeessss!! Here for thiiiissss!!" 

Zendaya will be seen in a theatre near you reprising the role of MJ in Spider-Man: Far From Home. The film also stars Tom Holland and Jake Gyllenhaal in the lead. What do you think of Halle Bailey as Ariel in The Little Mermaid? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below. 

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