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Fans of the Grammy-winning singer will be sad to hear about this news.
Disney is currently preparing for the premier of the highly anticipated live-action version of The Little Mermaid. Fans are so excited to see the film in its entirety, and a big reason for that is because of the star-studded cast. With Singer Halle Bailey as Ariel, Joanah Haurer-King as Prince Eric, Melissa McCarthy as Ursula, Jaco Tremblay as Flounder, Daveed Diggs as Sebastian, and Lin-Manual Miranda as Le Chef Louis, the film is not lacking star-power.
Credit: Disney
However, fans may be surprised to know that we almost had an A-list pop star playing Prince Eric. That’s right, singer Harry Styles was the original choice for the role!
Why Styles Turned It Down
He has got the look, the voice, and the star power to play a Disney Prince, so why did he turn it down? Rob Marshall, the director of The Little Mermaid, laid out all the drama in a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly.
Credit: Rolling Stone
According to the Marshall, Harry Styles auditioned for the movie and was a massive favorite among the film’s creative team. Style is an incredible singer, and his looks do closely resemble Prince Eric from the cartoons. After meeting with him, Rob Marshall was ready to offer him the role. Unfortunately, Styles turned down the offer for other conflicting projects.
Marshall said,
“We met with him. He was lovely. What a wonderful guy… But at the end of the day, he really felt like he wanted to go off and do the movies that he ended up doing, which were sort of darker.”
Credit: Disney
This year, Syles appeared in two films, Don’t Worry Darling and My Policeman. Both of these films definitely had darker themes. It seems that the actor is looking to establish himself as a more serious type. Luckily for Disney, they found Jonah Hauer-King who is also a perfect choice for the role. While Styles may have brought more fans to the theatres to watch the film, we are confident that with the buzz already generated around The Little Mermaid, it will do just fine.
