London-based actor Jonah Hauer-King will star alongside Halle Bailey in the upcoming live-action remake of Disney's The Little Mermaid.

Although many Disney fans had been hopeful that former One Direction frontman Harry Styles (who impressed critics with his acting chops in the Christopher Nolan period war movie Dunkirk) would play Eric, the role has instead passed to Hauer-King, a relative newcomer.

Deadline reports that Hauer-King has been in the running for some time, and had two screen tests in London with director Rob Marshall before he was chosen for the part.

The part of Ariel will be played by African-American star Halle Bailey, one half of the R&B duo Chloe x Halle. According to Variety, Bailey was the first pick for the role from the outset.

Director Rob Marshall told variety: "After an extensive search, it was abundantly clear that Halle possesses that rare combination of spirit, heart, youth, innocence, and substance — plus a glorious singing voice. All intrinsic qualities necessary to play this iconic role."

Other cast members for the live-action remake include Melissa McCarthy as Ursula, Awkwafina as Scuttle, Jacob Tremblay as Flounder, and Javier Bardem has apparently been tapped to play King Triton.

Furthermore, the movie is due to feature beloved songs from the original movie, which were written by Alan Menken and Howard Ashman, as well as some new songs which were specially-written for the upcoming movie with the help of Lin-Manuel Miranda.

Speaking about the film in a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly, Miranda stated: "It’s about a woman finding her voice. A girl finding her voice, actually. And that immediately just felt like an interesting, timely piece that resonated with us."

However, one actor who sadly wasn't cast in the remake was Terry Crews, who even made an audition tape to lobby Disney to give him the part of King Triton.

London-based actor Jonah Hauer-King will star alongside Halle Bailey in the upcoming live-action remake of Disney's The Little Mermaid.

Although many Disney fans had been hopeful that former One Direction frontman Harry Styles (who impressed critics with his acting chops in the Christopher Nolan period war movie Dunkirk) would play Eric, the role has instead passed to Hauer-King, a relative newcomer.

Deadline reports that Hauer-King has been in the running for some time, and had two screen tests in London with director Rob Marshall before he was chosen for the part.

The part of Ariel will be played by African-American star Halle Bailey, one half of the R&B duo Chloe x Halle. According to Variety, Bailey was the first pick for the role from the outset.

Director Rob Marshall told variety: "After an extensive search, it was abundantly clear that Halle possesses that rare combination of spirit, heart, youth, innocence, and substance — plus a glorious singing voice. All intrinsic qualities necessary to play this iconic role."

Other cast members for the live-action remake include Melissa McCarthy as Ursula, Awkwafina as Scuttle, Jacob Tremblay as Flounder, and Javier Bardem has apparently been tapped to play King Triton.

Furthermore, the movie is due to feature beloved songs from the original movie, which were written by Alan Menken and Howard Ashman, as well as some new songs which were specially-written for the upcoming movie with the help of Lin-Manuel Miranda.

Speaking about the film in a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly, Miranda stated: "It’s about a woman finding her voice. A girl finding her voice, actually. And that immediately just felt like an interesting, timely piece that resonated with us."

However, one actor who sadly wasn't cast in the remake was Terry Crews, who even made an audition tape to lobby Disney to give him the part of King Triton.