
Thomas Jefferson is heading under the sea. Well, sort of. According to Variety, Daveed Diggs is in final talks to join the cast of Disney’s live-action adaptation of The Little Mermaid as Ariel’s crab sidekick Sebastian.
Diggs’ breakout role came in Hamilton as both Thomas Jefferson and Marquis de Lafeyette. He then co-wrote and starred in the film Blindspotting last year, which released to critical acclaim. The actor is set to appear next as Frederick Douglass in Showtime’s upcoming series, The Good Lord Bird.
Halle Bailey is set to star alongside Diggs in The Little Mermaid as Ariel. Melissa McCarthy and Javier Bardem are also set to appear as Ursula and King Triton, respectively. The film will reportedly feature songs from the original 1989 classic as well as new tunes composed by Alan Menken and Lin-Manuel Miranda. Miranda is also attached as a producer alongside director Rob Marshall, Marc Platt, Allison Erlikhman, John DeLuca, and Jessica Virtue.
The Little Mermaid is set to begin production in spring 2020. A release date has yet to be announced.