Rumors are circulating that Harry Styles has signed on to play Prince Eric in the live-action remake of The Little Mermaid. Yet, Styles’ role in the movie is not “official, official”–and here’s why.
The claim was first made on the DisInsider website, which also tweeted out the “exclusive” news. Yet, that account, as Cosmopolitan noted, is unverified.
https://twitter.com/TheDisInsider/status/1161347767576383488
The Wrap–a verified account–is also claiming, exclusively, that Styles turned down the role.
Harry Styles Turns Down Role of Prince Eric in Disney's 'Little Mermaid' (Exclusive) https://t.co/22CbN7pOeP pic.twitter.com/V0eJ4Gmwhi
— TheWrap (@TheWrap) August 13, 2019
That didn’t stop several publications from picking up the claim as fact. It also didn’t stop Twitter from going wild–leading the hashtags #PrinceEric and #HarryStyles to trend.
“Harry Styles is officially Prince Eric and I can’t think of a way to stop Disney from taking my money,” one user tweeted.
https://twitter.com/vogueboss/status/1161370935418601473
harry styles as prince eric and halle bailey as ariel. I can see it now. This movie is gonna be powerful pic.twitter.com/Nfo3J2AHy8
— sheila (@winterdaylov) August 13, 2019
It makes sense that people were so quick to run with the announcement, as Styles was said to be in talks with Disney to take up the role in July.
And ever since the announcement that Halle Bailey would be starring as Ariel in the remake, the internet has been abuzz with speculation about who would snag the role of her Prince. Style’s name was thrown in the hat by fans early in the game, but there were many other suggestions as well.
“How about Alex Landi for Prince Eric,” one user wrote.
https://twitter.com/calvinstowell/status/1146521321007980545
Okay, but hear me out…
— Eric Crumrine (@ECrumrine) July 4, 2019
Ruby Rose. Prince Eric. TELL ME I'M WRONG (don't actually, because I'm not.) #LittleMermaid pic.twitter.com/RjvMZAow9o
So, as it turns out, there may be some hope for those Styles detractors after all.
READ MORE:
- Terry Crews wants to be cast as King Triton in ‘The Little Mermaid’ live-action remake
- Fans create Halle Bailey ‘Little Mermaid’ artwork for new live-action film
- This white girl got dragged for her racist ‘Little Mermaid’ tweet
Got five minutes? We’d love to hear from you. Help shape our journalism and be entered to win an Amazon gift card by filling out our 2019 reader survey.
H/T Cosmopolitan