Halle Bailey cast as Ariel in Little Mermaid live action re-make

Telegraph Reporters
Halle Bailey, who has been cast to play Ariel in the Little Mermaid - 2017 Invision
Halle Bailey, who has been cast to play Ariel in the Little Mermaid - 2017 Invision

Singer and actress Halle Bailey will be making her feature film debut as Ariel, in the new live-action remake of The Little Mermaid.

Rob Marshall, who made a success of musical films Into the Woods and Mary Poppins Returns, is directing The Little Mermaid. While insiders told Variety that Bailey was a front runner for the titular role since the beginning, Marshall said that she succeeded after an "extensive"  casting 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."

Bailey, who is 19, came to fame in that most millennial of ways: the YouTube cover. Joined by her sister Chloe, their covers of Beyoncé songs Pretty Hurts went viral after its upload in 2013, catching the attention of Knowles-Carter herself and landing the teenagers with a deal on her record label.

They've since been operating as Chloe x Halle, an R&B duo that released their first music in 2016 and have supported Beyoncé on her Foundation tour; they have also supported Jay Z and, in February, sang the American National Anthem at the Super Bowl. The sisters' most prominent acting credit to date is in TV series Grown-ish.

Bailey commented on the news through the sisters' joint Instagram account, with a cartoon of a black Ariel and the caption: "dream come true".

The new film, which is yet to receive a release date, will combine beloved songs from the 1989 animated film with new songs written by composer Alan Menken and Lin-Manuel Miranda, who created Hamilton (and produced and appeared in Mary Poppins Returns). Miranda also has a production credit on The Little Mermaid.