The cast of Disney’s live-action remake of The Little Mermaid looks like it’s going to be heavy on musicians, with the exception, of course, of Melissa McCarthy’s Ursula. (That is, unless Lizzo winds up swiping it from her.) Mere weeks after singer Halle Bailey nabbed the titular role, we may have her screen partner: As per The Hollywood Reporter, Harry Styles is in talks to play goodly Prince Eric.
If all goes swimmingly, it will only be Styles’ second screen performance. The One Direction boy bander made his acting debut for no less than Christopher Nolan, who cast him in a key supporting role as one of the panicking soldiers in the hit WWII saga Dunkirk. He received good notices, too, largely for managing to not distract people from the drama by constantly pointing out that one of our heroes is in One Direction.
Styles, incidentally, was born five years after the original Little Mermaid animated classic was released, and six years before his probable love interest came into this world. If he gets the role, he’ll play the young man hunky enough to force Ariel the mermaid to surrender her voice for a pair of human legs. He’ll also presumably have to sing some original songs, as Prince Eric didn’t do any singing in the 1989 film version of The Little Mermaid. Hopefully he’ll also get to share some screentime with King Triton hopeful Terry Crews.
(Via THR)
