After months of speculation and searching, Disney’s live-action remake of The Little Mermaid has found its Prince Eric. EW has confirmed that British actor Jonah Hauer-King has been tapped to play the coveted role, which Harry Styles was previously in talks for.
Hauer-King will appear opposite Halle Bailey as Ariel, with Mary Poppins Returns helmer Rob Marshall directing. Also reportedly on board are Melissa McCarthy as Ursula, Javier Bardem as King Triton, Daveed Diggs as Sebastian, Jacob Tremblay as Flounder, and Awkwafina as Scuttle.
According to Deadline, which first reported the news, Hauer-King was in the running alongside Krypton star Cameron Cuffe before the ultimate decision was made.
Hauer-King, 24, previously appeared in 2017’s Little Women miniseries and this year’s A Dog’s Way Home, and he most recently he starred in the BBC miniseries World on Fire. He’s set to appear in Once Upon a Time in Staten Island, a drama film also starring Naomi Watts and Bobby Cannavale.
For The Little Mermaid, composer Alan Menken is collaborating with Lin-Manuel Miranda to develop new songs to accompany Menken and Howard Ashman’s original score. It seems certain that Bailey, one half of R&B duo Chloe x Halle, will be singing in the film, but no word yet on if Hauer-King will show off his pipes as well.
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