For a brief period, it seemed that One Direction band member Harry Styles had been cast as Prince Eric in Disney’s live-action remake of The Little Mermaid, however it was not to be. The Dunkirk actor ultimately passed on director Rob Marshall’s film, so The Little Mermaid is still fishing for who will play Ariel’s beau. The Little Mermaid just tested two Prince Eric stars, but neither is exactly Harry Styles.
Actors Cameron Cuffe and Jonah Hauer-King have both tested for the role of Prince Eric in The Little Mermaid. Both actors tested in front of director Rob Marshall at Pinewood Studios in London on Monday. There is no word as of yet about the results of those tests or if either actor has positioned himself as the frontrunner to land the role, but it seems that these two names are both in the running to play Prince Eric.
One Direction fans out there will note that neither of these names are exactly Harry Styles. Harry Styles has a legion of fans thanks to his music career, which is why he passed on The Little Mermaid, making him the kind of name that you’re probably familiar with, even if you have no idea what he’s famous for.
In contrast, Cameron Cuffe and Jonah Hauer-King are names that you probably had to look up. That’s no knock on them, just that they are both newer in their careers as actors and neither has become a household name just yet. Cameron Cuffe previously had a part in Florence Foster Jenkins and most recently he played the lead role of Seg-El in SyFy’s cancelled series Krypton. Jonah Hauer-King has a few more feature film credits and was on the big screen earlier this year in the family film A Dog’s Way Home.
Disney’s The Little Mermaid seemed to be going for the splashy pick with Harry Styles as Prince Eric to join Halle Bailey’s Ariel. Like Halle Bailey, Harry Styles is better known for his music career and is new to acting, with his only feature credit being Christopher Nolan’s Dunkirk. Although Prince Eric does not sing in the 1989 Disney animated classic, it’s not impossible he could do so in Rob Marshall’s film and Styles would have brought singing chops to the role.
Cameron Cuffe and Jonah Hauer-King may not have filled stadiums as part of a globally popular boy band, but they would bring a bit more acting experience to The Little Mermaid than Styles. Of course, neither Cameron Cuffe nor Jonah Hauer-King has the role of Prince Eric just yet.
Deadline also noted that a source close to production on the film said that there is a large pool of actors in the mix to play Prince Eric beyond just Cameron Cuffe and Jonah Hauer-King, so it won’t necessarily come down to one of these two.
Whoever gets the role of Prince Eric would join a cast that includes Halle Bailey, Awkwafina and Jacob Tremblay, with Javier Bardem expected to play King Triton and Melissa McCarthy rumored for the Sea Witch Ursula.
We’ll keep you updated on who gets to sha la la la la la kiss the girl in The Little Mermaid. Check out our 2019 release schedule to see what’s headed to theaters this fall.
