Halle Berry Hails Halle Bailey's Little Mermaid Casting

The world of live-action Disney remakes got a pretty major update today when Halle Bailey was cast [...]

By Jenna Anderson

The world of live-action Disney remakes got a pretty major update today when Halle Bailey was cast as Ariel in the upcoming adaptation of The Little Mermaid. For some, news of the casting created a split-second of confusion, as it made them accidentally think that X-Men and Catwoman Halle Berry was chosen for the role. Well, that digital double-take has now found its way to Berry, who took to Twitter to congratulate Bailey on the role.

On Wednesday, Berry tweeted that she can't wait to see what Bailey does with the role, and that the casting should serve as a reminder that "Halles get it done".

Bailey is known for her Grammy-nominated work in the music group Chloe x Halle, which she started with her sister in 2015. The pair got their start posting covers on YouTube, before being discovered by Beyonce and opening for her on her Lemonade tour. In terms of acting, Bailey previously appeared in Grown-ish, Austin & Ally, and Last Holiday.

The Little Mermaid will see Bailey join Jacob Tremblay and Awkwafina as Flounder and Skuttle, with Melissa McCarthy in talks to play Ursula.

The film will be directed by 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 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 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."

What do you think of Halle Berry's reaction to Halle Bailey playing Ariel in The Little Mermaid? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!

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