The Little Mermaid: Daveed Diggs in Talks to Play Sebastian

Disney’s live-action adaptation of The Little Mermaid still has some pretty iconic roles to fill, and it looks like they might be courting a Tony-winning star to do so. According to a new report from Variety, Hamilton star Daveed Diggs is in talks to play Sebastian, Ariel’s Jamaican crab sidekick, in the upcoming film. Diggs most notably played Marquis de Lafayette and Thomas Jefferson in the original Broadway production of Hamilton, for which he won a Tony for Best Featured Actor in a Musical. Outside of theater, Diggs has had roles in Wonder, Blindspotting, Undone, and the upcoming Snowpiercer television series.

The Little Mermaid will see grown-ish star and Grammy-nominated musician Halle Bailey playing Ariel, the young mermaid who sacrifices her voice for a chance to walk on land.

“I feel like I’m dreaming, and I’m just grateful.” Bailey explained in a recent interview. “And I don’t pay attention to the negativity. I just feel like this role is something bigger than me, and greater, and it’s going to be beautiful. I’m just so excited to be a part of it.”

Bailey is expected to be joined by Jacob Tremblay as Flounder and Awkwafina as Skuttle, with Melissa McCarthy in talks to play the villainous Ursula. Javier Bardem has been rumored to possibly play King Triton, with Harry Styles, Cameron Cuffe, Christian Navarro, and Jonah Hauer-King all linked to the role of Prince Eric.

The Little Mermaid will be directed by Rob Marshall (Mary Poppins Returns), with a script from David Magee and Jane Goldman. The film is expected to feature original songs from the 1989 animated blockbuster, as well as new tracks composed by Alan Menken and Diggs’ Hamilton co-star Lin-Manuel Miranda.

“There are things I’ve learned about how you have to work to integrate songs into story, and how it has to feel earned. It can’t just be sort of put there, placed there, because you feel there should be a song,” Marshall previously told ComicBook.com. “It has to be a song that’s earned, that takes you there. And so as we’re working on, in a way, fleshing out The Little Mermaid — Ariel has one song in the animated film — and so we’re looking for maybe more material.”

“Alan Menken and Lin-Manuel Miranda are coming on board to write some lyrics, so that’s exciting, to sort of take what was there, which is so beloved, but also find a way to create a live-action version of it,” Marshall said, adding “the lessons of creating an original musical have been very helpful so far.”

Are you excited to see Daveed Diggs potentially join the live-action The Little Mermaid? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!