Casting for The Little Mermaid is already in full swing. Hailey Bailey will play the titular role, while others like Melissa McCarthy, Awkwafina, and Jacob Tremblay will play supporting roles.

But this really wouldn’t be a Little Mermaid reimagining without its Prince Eric. According to a new report, Dunkirk star and One Direction bandmate Harry Styles is in talks to play the role of the young prince who Ariel dreams of being with. More on the report below.

Things have been moving along swimmingly for the casting of director Rob Marshall‘s The Little Mermaid. The new telling is the latest Disney film to get a live-action treatment.

Melissa McCarthy (Bridesmaids, Can You Ever Forgive Me), Jacob Tremblay (Room, The Predator), and Awkwafina (Crazy Rich Asians, The Farewell) are in talks to play Ursula, Flounder, and Scuttle, respectively. And now the most important character of all has been cast.

Disney has confirmed that Halle Bailey will play Ariel in the new live-action adaptation of The Little Mermaid. More on this below.

It’s no small secret that Disney is mining through their animated vault to adapt classic titles into live-action films. The process has been a relative hit or miss, but Aladdin‘s recent box office success only gives way for the studio to release more of these, whether that is theatrically or on their upcoming Disney+ streaming service.

Now the studio appears to have found a director to helm another one of their animated classics — their first one, in fact. According to new reports, (500) Days of Summer director Marc Webb has been tapped to helm the live-action version of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. More on the report below.

Guy Ritchie‘s filmography is splattered with heavy amounts of witty dialogue and gritty action sequences. While it may not necessarily lend itself well to a Disney family-friendly film, his filmmaking style works in Aladdin. Based on the 1992 animated film of the same name, the upcoming live-action version is part of a successful trend that has Disney going through their vault to see which one of the animated classics they could reimagine into a live-action film next.

There’s action, suspense, and a bit of romance. But there is also humor, singing, and dancing. All of these are key aspects the animated original had. So to say that director Ritchie and the cast had a huge responsibility to do the film justice would be a vast understatement. And yet, they pulled it off.

Geeks Of Doom attended the Aladdin global press conference with their fellow journalists to talk to Ritchie about the production, how he stayed true to the spirit of the animated original, his style of filmmaking, the positive vibes that helped set up the camaraderie and set the tone, and more. Check out what he had to say here below.

Trailers for Disney’s live-action adaptation of Aladdin have been relying on old familiar themes and elements from the animated original. At the same time, there needed to be some new additions to generate a new wave of fans who may have never seen the Ron Clements”Ž and “ŽJohn Musker-directed original or just may not have been around to see it.

While that may have worked for some, a brand new trailer gives us a better sense of the size and scope of the live-action remake while also bringing back some of the more memorable scenes from the 1992 film. Check it out below.