Jonah Hauer-King is going to head under the sea. According to Variety, Hauer-King has been cast as Prince Eric in Disney’s upcoming live-action adaptation of The Little Mermaid. The actor will star opposite Halle Bailey, who is attached to portray Ariel.
Hauer-King recently starred on the big screen in A Dog’s Way Home. And before that, he starred in a few episodes of the TV miniseries Howard’s End and Little Women. The actor won the role over a few others who have recently been going through screen tests in London with the director, Rob Marshal. Harry Styles was in talks to play the film’s prince at one point but, those talks fell through.
Alongside Bailey and Hauer-King, Daveed Diggs is going to star in the film as Ariel’s singing sidekick, Sebastian. 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.
