In the past few years, Disney has made several full-length remakes of their classic cartoons. In 2020, the company is planning to release a remake of The Little Mermaid and, at the moment, the casting process is underway. This news sparked active discussions on the internet: people on social media have been arguing about the best actress for the role of Ariel. And just a few days ago, something unexpected happened.
Bright Side has collected the main candidates for the main role. Which of these girls do you think would be the best pick?
The most discussed candidates
Ariana Grande
Back in February, a teaser-trailer appeared on YouTube where Ariana Grande played the role of the Disney character. She is a popular American actress and singer. As you might remember from the original cartoon, Ariel had an outstanding voice, so Grande might have been a wonderful choice.
Zendaya
Despite her young age, Zendaya has already had a chance to take part in projects for the Disney TV channel and for Hollywood movies about the new adventures of Spider-Man. She is also of mixed descent which could be an advantage and make the character a little bit different from what it was before.
Lindsay Lohan
2 years ago, the star of Mean Girls published a moving post on her Instagram page. In the post, she talked about her wish to sing for Ariel in the upcoming remake. Lindsay also mentioned that her sister Aliana was going to work on the soundtrack of the remake. Later, the actress deleted the post and just left a collage of her next to the cartoon character, which was kind of a hint that she would love to portray the Little Mermaid and be her voice.
Lea Michele
The star of the popular series Glee was also a candidate for the role of Ariel. In March, in Los Angeles, there was a show dedicated to the anniversary of the cartoon. There, Lea sang several songs from the Oscar-winning cartoon.
Sophia Lillis
The actress, who is popular for her portrayal of Beverly Marsh in It, could try herself in a completely new image by playing Ariel. Sophia’s fans even created a special petition in order to increase the chances of seeing their idol in this new image.
In the end, Halle Bailey got the role.
Halle Bailey is a 19-year-old R&B singer. She started her creative path on YouTube and later attracted the attention of Beyoncé herself! Yes, contrary to all the predictions, the role of Ariel will be played by a black girl with an authentic African hairstyle, which was announced by the official Disney Twitter account. Maybe this decision is the company’s attempt to redefine the classic character we remember from our childhood?
The candidates for other roles
Lady Gaga
According to the news that appeared in October of last year from the official website of the singer, Lady Gaga will play Ursula. This is a possibility because, recently, her movie career of has been developing very quickly. Also, judging by her music videos, she is great at transformations.
Melissa McCarthy
There is a chance that comedy actress Melissa McCarthy (who is just as charismatic as Lady Gaga) will play the role of Ursula. At the moment, the star of The Heat is actively trying herself in completely different genres. For example, recently, McCarthy took part in the criminal drama The Kitchen. Maybe, a role in this Disney remake will be just as successful for her.
Liam Neeson
In the cartoon, Liam Neeson voiced the father of Ariel, King Triton. There is a good chance that the star of Clash of the Titans will play the king of the sea himself. This great Hollywood actor can play pretty much any role.
Bonus: The best candidate for the role of Ariel
Who do you think is the best choice for roles of Ariel and the other characters of the cartoon? Share your opinion in the comment section!
Preview photo credit wikipedia, chloexhalle / instagram
SOURCE: BRIGHTSIDE
Kayode Emmanuel Ojo is the Co-Founder and Managing Director at SHEFFA Limited. He is presently studying Computer Science at the National Open University, Victoria Island, Lagos.