Live-Action ‘The Little Mermaid’ Casts Jonah Hauer-King As Prince Eric

Prince Eric has finally been cast in the upcoming Disney live-action remake of ‘The Little Mermaid’. British actor Jonah Hauer-King has been chosen to portray Ariel’s love interest in the upcoming film being directed by Rob Marshall.

Hauer-King was picked out of dozens of other actors for the role after testing for it at London’s Pinewood Studios, according to Deadline. His casting comes after singer Harry Styles stepped away from talks back in July in order to focus more on his music career. Hauer-King tested for the part along with “Krypton” actor Cameron Cuffe in September before securing the role.

“The Little Mermaid” cast also includes Halle Bailey in the title role of Ariel, Melissa McCarthy as Ursula, Jacob Tremblay as Flounder, and Awkwafina as Scuttle. Javier Bardem is also currently in talks to play King Triton. The film will have classic songs from the original along with some new songs by Alan Menken and Lin-Manuel Miranda. The film will be produced by Marshall, Marc Platt, John DeLuca, and Miranda.

Hauer-King’s previous work includes “A Dog’s Way Home”, “The Last Photograph”, and the miniseries “Little Women”. His upcoming project “Once Upon a Time in Staten Island” is currently in post-production awaiting a release date as well as “The Song of Names”, which debuted at the Toronto International Film Festival back in September.

Based on the 1989 film, “The Little Mermaid” has become a staple of the Disney animated classics. The franchise has included two direct-to-video follow-ups and a Broadway musical, and audiences have expressed their continued interest in the story of “The Little Mermaid” after ABC saw good ratings for their live musical television special. Disney has also seen some success with the live-action remakes of their classic animated films, with “Aladdin” earning over $1 billion this past summer.