News broke earlier this week that actress Halle Bailey has been cast as Ariel in Disney’s live-action reimagining of its 1989 animated classic The Little Mermaid. We probably have a long way to go to find out what Halle Bailey will look like in character as Ariel, but thankfully, BossLogic is always around to paint the picture for us. Take a look below to see what Halle Bailey could look like as The Little Mermaid’s Ariel:
BossLogic previously created a Little Mermaid poster featuring Zendaya when the Spider-Man: Far From Home actress was rumored for the role, and he uses that same design here while adding a few things to put Halle Bailey in as Ariel. It’s far too early to know what approach Disney will take to the film and the character design, but in addition to her singing chops, this picture may give some an idea of why Disney thought Halle Bailey was right for the role.
When the news hit, naysayers were hung up on the actress playing Ariel not being a natural redhead. While we have no idea if Halle Bailey will have red hair in the film, this image shows how the actress could inhabit the role and still sport Ariel’s trademark look. It’ll depend on the approach and nothing will please everyone, but Halle Bailey certainly looks the part in BossLogic’s interpretation.
I also like the aesthetic he goes for in this poster. As opposed to the ultra vibrant aesthetic of Disney’s most recent live-action remake Aladdin, this fan art for The Little Mermaid depicts a slightly more grounded-looking world of the film, a film that will have talking fish people.
In addition to imagining Halle Bailey as Ariel, BossLogic also does a bit of fun and hilarious fan casting here. He casts Black Panther and Creed II actor Michael B. Jordan as Prince Eric. And while Michael B. Jordan would be great in a Disney live-action remake, he may be a bit old considering how young Disney went for Ariel. Halle Bailey is only 19, close to the 16-year-old Ariel in the animated film (15 in Hans Christian Andersen’s original tale) while Michael B. Jordan is 32.
The funniest part of this poster imagines Wade Wilson, yes that Wade Wilson, as the character “Jerk Fisherman” who is about to be eaten by a shark. Unless there’s another reference I’m missing, this could be a nod to the No Good Deed short/teaser for Deadpool 2 that played in front of Logan, viewable here. That ends with a Deadpool-esque recap of Ernest Hemingway’s The Old Man and the Sea, which is about, you guessed it, a fisherman.
The casting of Ariel’s father King Triton, here labeled as “Angry at first, Dad” is perfect. Idris Elba would make a killer King Triton and fortunately, we don’t have to imagine it since BossLogic made an image of that as well. Check it out:
Yup, that’ll work. We don’t know who will play King Triton yet in The Little Mermaid, but we do know some of the cast besides Halle Bailey’s Ariel. Jacob Tremblay has been cast as Flounder and Awkwafina as Scuttle. Actress Melissa McCarthy is in talks to play the sea witch Ursula but that casting is not final and Lizzo is still hoping to swoop in and snag the part.
The Little Mermaid does not yet have a release date but we’ll keep you updated on the casting and everything about Rob Marshall’s film and all of Disney’s upcoming live-action remakes. In the meantime, check out our 2019 Release Schedule to see what’s headed to theaters this year.
