For a while, it looked like Harry Styles was going to make millions of One Direction and Disney fans’ dreams come true by taking on the role of the dashing Prince Eric in The Little Mermaid. It seemed a fitting choice for a character so damn handsome that the story’s titular heroine literally loses her voice in order to try and be with him – except, Styles ended up turning the role down. Now, according to Deadline, Disney has locked in an up-and-coming Brit actor (without the boyband background) for the role, by the name of Jonah Hauer-King.
According to the report, Hauer-King edged past Krypton’s Cameron Cuffe to bag the role, and will join Halle Bailey, Melissa McCarthy, Javier Bardem, Awkwafina, and Jacob Tremblay in the movie, directed by Rob Marshall. While Hauer-King isn’t exactly a household name, this is far from his first role – he starred alongside Alex Lawther in this year’s Cyrano De Bergerac-inspired Old Boys, popped up in A Dog’s Way Home, and can currently be seen in BBC war drama World On Fire. Before The Little Mermaid, he’ll be seen in Once Upon A Time In Staten Island, from The Purge director James DeMonaco.
Disney’s live-action (or photoreal-animated) remakes are still big business for the studio – while Dumbo struggled at the box office towards the start of the year, Aladdin pulled in just over $1 billion, and The Lion King ruled the summer with a $1.6 billion-plus haul. Next up is a sweeping historical-epic take on Mulan, arriving in March 2020, followed by the Emma Stone-starring Cruella in May 2021.
There’s no release date yet for The Little Mermaid – but with shooting yet to begin, and a reasonable amount of post-production sure to be on the horizon, expect this one in 2021 or later.