With the new adaptation of The Lion King due to hit cinemas later this month, Disney’s obsession with live-action remakes is showing no signs of stopping anytime soon.

The recent successes of The Jungle Book (2016), Beauty and the Beast (2017) and this year’s Dumbo and Aladdin have enabled the studio to continue reworking their animated classics even when the originals are still treasured by fans.

With that being said, The Little Mermaid (1989) is now set to become ‘part of that world’ too following news of some important castings related to its beloved characters.

Firstly, it has been confirmed that young actress / singer Halle Bailey (Grow-ish) will tackle the key role of our mermaid heroine Ariel. 19 year-old Halle is recognisable for being part of the duo Chloe x Halle with her sister. The pair recently covered Beyoncé’s ‘Pretty Hurts’ in a viral video and were then invited to open for the Queen of Pop on the ‘On the Road II Tour’. Their debut album came out last year and featured them writing and/or producing on every track.

Additionally, the remake has also added three well-known stars with the biggest being Oscar-nominated actress Melissa McCarthy (Bridesmaids, Ghostbusters) as the sinister Ursula. The roles of Ariel’s companions Flounder and Scuttle have also been filled with talented youngster Jacob Tremblay (Wonder, The Predator) and comedian / actress Awkwafina (Ocean’s Eight, Crazy Rich Asians).

The castings of Sebastian, Prince Eric and Ariel’s father King Triton have yet to be confirmed but will be announced in due course.

The film will be helmed by Rob Marshall who has a proven track record with musicals following his work on the Oscar-winning Chicago (2002), Nine (2009), Into the Woods (2014) and last year’s Mary Poppins Returns (2018). Poppins star Lin-Manuel Miranda is also onboard to write new songs alongside original composer Alan Menken.

There is no scheduled release date for The Little Mermaid but it is likely to be sometime in the next couple of years.