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10 Actresses Who Could Play The Little Mermaid in Disney’s Remake

Since their very first fully animated feature film, 1937’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Walt […]

Since their very first fully animated feature film, 1937’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Walt Disney Studios has been known for taking beloved fairy tales and adapting them into classic animated films, and, more recently, the studio has struck gold with their live-action fairy tale remakes. The Angelina Jolie-led Maleficent pulled in $758.5 million at the global box office, the Kenneth Branagh-directed Cinderella grossed over a half-a-billion dollars, the Jon Favreau-directed Jungle Book came within $34 million of hitting a billion, and pre-sale tickets are selling gangbusters for Beauty and the Beast.

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So the question is: Which fairy tale will that turn into a live-action film next? Back in May 2016, it was reported that Disney was provided with a new pitch for The Little Mermaid — based on Hans Christian Andersen’s 1837 tale, which studio previously adapted into the classic 1989 animated film — that they reportedly loved – so much so that they began talking to producers about moving forward with it.

Then, three months later, Deadline reported that Marc Platt and Hamilton’s Lin-Manuel Miranda have been brought on to produce the project. Miranda is also working with eight-time Academy Award-winning composer Alan Menken — who co-created the music for the 1989 film — to write new songs.

However, at this time, Disney hasn’t green-lit the project yet, but we’re sure that day will come soon enough, and when it does, the Mouse House will have to find someone to play Ariel. Who could that be? Well, as you can see the banner image, Anna Kendrick, Taylor Swift, and Miley Cyrus quickly come to mind, but there are seven others that could also portray the sweet and rebellious young mermaid with a heavenly voice.

Click on “Start Slideshow” to see which actresses/singers made the cut!

The Little Mermaid (1989) synopsis: Ariel (voiced by Jodi Benson) is a free-spirited mermaid, who is off on the adventure of a lifetime with her best friend, the adorable Flounder (voiced by Jason Marin), and the reggae-singing Caribbean crab Sebastian (voiced by Samuel E. Wright) at her side. But it will take all of her courage and determination to make her dreams come true—and save her father’s (voiced by Kenneth Mars) beloved kingdom from the sneaky sea witch Ursula (voiced by Pat Carroll).

MORE: Lindsay Lohan Wants to Play The Little Mermaid in Disney’s Remake / Chloe Grace Mortez Drops Out Of Little Mermaid / Live Action Little Mermaid Being Considered By Disney

Ariana Grande

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Although I didn’t put this slideshow into any particular order, I will admit to you that Grande is probably my number one choice. If you can look past the donut licking incident and just judge the 23-year-old on her powerful singing voice, she can easily duplicate the sweetness and youthfulness of Jodi Benson’s singing voice from the 1989 film. Plus, she proved with Victorious, Sam & Cat, and a memorable guest appearance on Saturday Night Live that her comedic timing is first-rate.

Hailee Steinfeld

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After being nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, based on her portrayal of Mattie Ross in True Grit (2010), Steinfeld has landed key supporting or starring roles in such films as Ender’s Game, The Edge of Seventeen, and Pitch Perfect 2. As for the latter, it allowed the 20-year-old to showcase her surprisingly pleasant singing voice.

Emma Stone

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Emma Stone, one of the most recognizable redheads in Hollywood, is the current frontrunner to win Best Actress at Sunday’s Academy Awards — based on her strong acting and singing performances in the instant-classic musical La La Land.

Anna Kendrick

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There wouldn’t be a Pitch Perfect franchise without Anna Kendrick. The sassy and tiny 31-year-old packs a big singing voice and is a versatile actress. Plus, she already portrayed Ariel in a Saturday Night Live sketch, and looked great doing so.

Karen Gillan

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The 29-year-old Guardians of the Galaxy and Doctor Who star doesn’t get enough credit for singing, but for those of you that watched her belt out Sia “Chandelier” on the short-lived ABC comedy series Selfie or impersonate Britney Spears, you know the Scot has a stunning singing voice.

Madelaine Petsch

Though I’ve only seen a handful of episodes of The CW’s Riverdale, it’s easy to acknowledge that Madelaine Petsch steals nearly every scene she is in. We should be talking about Betty and Veronica, but it is much more interesting to see her Cheryl Blossom, the Queen of Bee of their high school, gleefully stirring up trouble. Plus, we even got a taste of her solid singing voice in “Sugar Sugar” music video, which you can view below.

Taylor Swift

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We all know that Taylor Swift has an exceptional singing voice, but can she act? Many will dispute me on this, but based on her humorous cameo in New Girl and her peppy supporting role in the movie Valentine’s Day, she not that shabby of an actress. However, there’s room for improvement.

Miley Cyrus

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Well, if you want to add some Country-flavor to Ariel, Miley Cyrus would be the perfect choice. Listen: She’ll never win any awards for her acting, but she could be Disney’s pick because she offers up a sensational singing voice, entertained millions of Americans as a judge on The Voice, and starred in their Hannah Montana television series.

Vanessa Hudgens

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Based on the ratings, many of you probably haven’t been watching Powerless, but for those of you that have, Vanessa Hudgens is one of the show’s bright spots. No, she’s not the funny one, but she gives an authentically wide-eyed wonder to her character that will charm the pants off of anyone. Plus, she has already proven to have a gorgeous singing voice in the High School Musical trilogy and Grease: Live.

Lea Michele

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This list wouldn’t be complete without the Queen of Glee. Let’s be honest, it is her beautiful singing voice that kept the FOX musical television series on for a few more seasons than it should have been. How about her acting? Actually, she was devilishly good as Hester Ulrich on FOX’s horror-comedy series Scream Queens. I could watch her chewing the scenery all day!