Halle Bailey tapped to play Ariel in 'The Little Mermaid'

R&B singer Halle Bailey, of the sister duo Chloe x Halle, fielded congratulations from Zendaya and Lin-Manuel Miranda on Wednesday after Walt Disney Studios announced she will star as Ariel in its live-action remake of the animated classic "The Little Mermaid."

"Yeeeeessss!! Here for thiiiissss!!" tweeted singer-actress Zendaya, currently in "Spider-Man: Far from Home," linking to a trade story about the announcement. "I LOVE YOU! thank you," Bailey replied. Love you more!!! So freakin excited for you," Zendaya answered.

"Hamilton" creator Miranda, a producer of the film, and who with original composer Alan Menken is writing songs for it, linked to the same article and tweeted, "Oh, hey, meet Ariel!" Bailey tweeted back, "[S]o exciting," prompting Miranda to quip, "[O]kay I better get writing."  

The live-action version will include original songs from the 1989 animated hit, including “Under the Sea,” “Part of Your World” and “Kiss the Girl.”
Bailey will join Jacob Tremblay and Awkwafina in the film, which will be directed by Rob Marshall, who helmed “Mary Poppins Returns.”
Marshall says that the 19-year-old Bailey “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.” 

With AP