Poll: Americans Approve Of Halle Bailey As ‘The Little Mermaid’

Despite initial controversy amongst a subset of fans, a new poll has found that most Americans are in support of singer and actress Halle Bailey’s casting as Ariel in the forthcoming live-action “The Little Mermaid.”

Conducted from July 8-10 by The Hollywood Reporter and Morning Consult, the poll found that 34 percent of respondents were strongly in favor of Bailey’s casting, while 21 percent said they were somewhat in support. Conversely, eight percent somewhat opposed the casting while nine percent strongly opposed it. Lastly, 23 percent had no opinion. Approximately 2,200 individuals took part in the survey.

Amongst different age groups, opinions varied little, ranging between 50-60 percent support amongst Generation Z, Millennials, Generation X, and Boomers. However, support was extremely varied along the political line. Amongst self-professed Democrats, there was 75 percent support of the casting, while self-professed Republicans offered only 44 percent.

The indication in all of this appears to be that the divide in opinion, where there is one at all, is not defined by age, and by extension one’s experience of the original film, but by political outlook.

Bailey’s casting was announced on July 3, following news that Melissa McCarthy was "in talks" to play as Ursula. Elsewhere in the cast, Awkwafina has been announced to play Scuttle and Jacob Tremblay has signed on as Flounder. Rob Marshall, late of “Mary Poppins Returns” and “Into the Woods,” will direct. No release date has been set, but THR has said that the film is looking to begin production in early 2020.