Why we’re excited music superstar Halle Bailey is Disney’s new Little Mermaid

R&B singer and songwriter Halle Bailey has officially been cast as Ariel for Disney’s new live action The Little Mermaid, lending excitement to what’s in store for the film’s soundtrack.

It’s no secret that The Little Mermaid has been one of the most anticipated live action remakes in Disney’s film franchise. For the past few years, production facts and rumors have been floating adrift, but at last official news has finally reached shore. R&B singer and songwriter Halle Bailey has been cast as Ariel, and it’s making fans stir with excitement about the movie’s new soundtrack.

While she has played the staring role of Sky Foster in Grown-ish and made an appearance on the soundtrack of A Wrinkle In Time, The Little Mermaid role marks Bailey’s feature film debut. Bailey first found fame with the formation of her R&B music group Chloe x Halle, which she formed with her sister Chloe in 2015. The sisters were discovered by none other than Beyoncé after they began posting covers of her songs on YouTube.

Since Chloe x Halle’s discovery, the duo has signed a record deal with Parkwood Entertainment producing their official album, “The Kids Are Aright. ” She has even opened for Beyoncé on her “Lemonade” tour, also making an appearance in her 2016 music video Beyonce: All Night.

In regards to casting, director Rob Marshall said in a statement to Variety that Bailey was the “abundantly clear” choice, saying the music superstar possessed, “that rare combination of spirit, heart, youth, innocence, and substance — plus a glorious singing voice.” And it’s that gorgeous set of pipes, plus an A-rate scoring team, that lends so much excitement to the film’s upcoming soundtrack.

Disney’s most recent live-action release, Aladdin, set the bar high in regards to Disney revamping their soundtracks for the modern generation. Aladdin’s score team brought in a mix of R&B flare with traditional Bali jams and it worked. For The Little Mermaid, original composer Alan Menken and Lin-Manuel Miranda (Hamilton and Moana songwriter) will be partnering up to create a new soundtrack that’s goosebumps worthy.

On top of that, production is expected to take place in Puerto Rico and Cape Town Africa. So while songs like “Under the Sea,” “Part of Your World” and, of course, “Kiss the Girl” will still be in the story’s spotlight, some powerful composition embodying fantasy and locality can be expected from such an all-star musical team.

Following in the footsteps of Jodi Benson’s still incredibly iconic “Part of Your World” is a task Bailey seems equipped for. Listening to her songs “Cool People” and “Fall,” Bailey offers a sweet, sorrowful and soulful voice to the R&B genre that’s both powerful and heart-wrenching. Seeing the young musical artist apply that same energy to the voice of a young mermaid trapped beneath the tides should be a jaw-dropping spectacle.

Disney’s live-action The Little Mermaid will incorporate both original songs from the 1989 animated hit as well as some new tunes, still yet to be revealed. Lin-Manuel Miranda is not only helping helm the film’s music but is also producing the movie along with Marc Platt and John DeLuca.

It’s all too fitting for Miranda to be so involved with this film, such he is such a huge Mermaid fan, even going so far as to name his son Sebastian after King Triton’s trusty right-hand-crab from the film.

The Little Mermaid script is in the hands of Jane Goldman, who wrote the screenplays for X-Men: First Class and Stardust. It’s unclear how much of the script will derive from the musical Disney version and how much will be adopted from Hans Christian Anderson’s much darker original story.

In addition to Bailey’s casting as Ariel, additional role casting has just begun for The Little Mermaid. Melissa McCarthy is in serious talks to dive into the role of the fabulous sea-witch Ursula. Meanwhile, Good Boys‘ Jacob Tremblay has been cast to play Flounder, Ariel’s best fish friend, and Awkwafina will take on the voice for a female Scuttle the seagull.

The roles of King Triton, Prince Eric, Sebastian and Ariel’s many, many sisters, have yet to be announced.

The Little Mermaid holds a special place in the pantheon of Disney’s animated classics as well as in the hearts of its viewers. It began “The Disney Renaissance,” capturing the essence of the adventurer’s spirit and embodying one of the best old-school love stories ever told.

The music Menken produced for the film was a large reason why the 1980s classic is still very much alive. It gives us even more reason to be excited for the music to come in The Little Mermaid’s live-action debut. Hopefully, it will carry the same emotional weight as the music which came before it.

In addition to the highly anticipated soundtrack and the undoubtedly stunning film setting, Bailey’s unapologetic excitement to take on the role of Ariel just adds to the thrill of what’s in store. With such a passionate team of people to see this live-action remake come to fruition, fans can rest assured Ariel’s story is in good hands.

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Are you exciting for some R&B flare in Disney’s live-action The Little Mermaid? Who do you hope is cast as Prince Eric? Tell us what you think in the comments below!