After major Hollywood trades reported that Harry Styles has officially passed on the role as Prince Eric opposite Halle Bailey as Ariel in the upcoming live-action adaption of The Little Mermaid, another potential contender announced on Twitter about auditioning for the same part.
On Aug. 13, 13 Reasons Why actor Christian Lee Navarro tweeted, “So I heard Harry Styles passed on Prince Eric, well…I can sing. Black Ariel/Latino Prince…no ones called but Season 3 drops next week and I think it’s one hell of an audition.” (“Season 3” was in reference to the third season of Netflix’s 13 Reasons Why.)
It is amazing to think about how social media works because in his case, the tweet was definitely seen by the right people. On Tuesday, Navarro shared that Disney saw his tweet and “gave my team a call.” As he put it, “They wanted to see what I could do.” Navarro then ended his tweet with, “Tapes sent. Fingers crossed. Let’s make some history.”
Alan Menken is remastering his original “The Little Mermaid” score for the film and is writing a song with Moana composer, Lin-Manuel Miranda. While Prince Eric doesn’t have any songs in the original The Little Mermaid, the singer joining Bailey is a strong sign that this will change in the remake. Styles and Bailey are incredible singers who will take on Alan Menken’s remastered Little Mermaid songs and new ones, too.
Also in talks to join Disney’s upcoming remake is Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales star Javier Bardem is in talks to play Ariel’s father King Triton Melissa McCarthy, Jacob Tremblay, and Awkwafina who are circling Ursula, Ariel’s best friend Flounder, and Scuttle.
The Little Mermaid will be directed by Rob Marshall and production is expected to begin in January in the Caribbean.
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