Oh, a deaf Prince Eric eh? Well, let’s see how this one plays out… it’s certainly an interesting concept for sure, but how will it work?
Well, you’ll just have to read on to find out!
So Ariel has been cast.
It’s good ol’ Halle Bailey, a singer from Los Angeles, California who has also done some acting work.
And frankly, we here at Diply couldn’t be more excited. I mean, we can’t stop writing about her!
It seems like everything is coming together…
Yes, we’ve got a Flounder, we’ve got a Scuttle, and we’ve got Lin Manuel Miranda on music helped by the original composer.
We’ve also got an awesome director and writer, things are looking up!
Except…
We’re missing one key component.
One component that’s the driving force of the whole movie, the whole reason Ariel gets into a pickle in the first place. Yes, that component is…
Ursula.
Yes, the evil sea witch has yet to be cast.
People are saying it might be Melissa McCarthy! But I still say they should cast Laverne Cox.
And then, of course…
There’s the other main part of the movie.
The whole reason Ariel wants to be on land in the first place. The person who drives her passion for meeting humans…
King Triton!
And since the new Ariel is of African American descent, everyone wants Terry Crews to be the next King Triton.
I mean, he’s toned, he’s loving but stern, it’s a perfect choice!
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Oh yeah…
And of course, there’s Prince Eric, the true driving force behind the movie.
Ariel falls in love with him and of course, gives up her voice so that she can walk on land with her crush.
So who’s he going to be?
There have been whispers that Chris Evans might just get the part, however, it wasn’t his idea.
There was a con where people were cheering him on to be Eric!
Some people want Noah Centineo.
Who is much closer to our Ariel in age than Chris Evans.
He’s relatively young (both in career and age at 25) but he’s done a bunch of movies, most notably To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before .
And then…
There’s Alex Landi, an Asian American actor.
It would certainly make the cast of The Little Mermaid incredibly diverse, and it’s not like Alex Landi hasn’t done anything before in his career.
He’s done a few movies.
However, the biggest thing he’s done (probably) is playing Dr. Nico Kim in Grey’s Anatomy .
Hey, I’m down for any Grey’s Anatomy star getting more roles, I love that show.
And others want Rome Flynn.
Like Halle Bailey, he’s under the radar, however, he’s had roles in How to Get Away with Murder and the Tyler Perry show The Haves and the Have Nots .
And other people want celebs from other countries!
This guy is part of a K-Pop group called BTS. Call me an old codger that has no idea what the kids are into these days, but I’ve never heard of BTS.
Then again, there isn’t a lot of K-POP on 107.1.
His name is Park Jimin
And his fans, who are apparently known as the ARMY are really down for their K-POP singing boy toy to be the next Prince Eric.
And he’s not the only major singer people want!
People are recommending Harry Styles for the role.
Which, I think would be a pretty decent fit, considering his singing talent. Heck, it may not be as close as Noah Centineo, but he kind of looks the part.
Then there’s Sebastian Stan.
However, I think that he’s way too old to be opposite the 19-year-old Halle Bailey.
The point is…
That we need an Eric who can sing and also hear.
Right? There’s no way we could possibly have an Eric that is deaf! I cannot possibly be convinced otherwise!
But Twitter has other ideas…
Specifically, a deaf actor has recently tweeted the phrase: “Deaf Prince Eric or nah?”
Which has obviously set Twitter ablaze! The first ever deaf Disney prince? It would be totally groundbreaking!
And I mean…
It wouldn’t be the worst idea in the world… it would play off the fact that Ariel is mute. Plus, the actor, named Nyle DiMarco, definitely looks the part.
There’s no doubting that…
For one…
This actor is no stranger to being in big projects.
For starters, he was in Switched at Birth , a quirky comedy featuring a lot of people who are deaf. So he’s got acting chops.
And for two…
There wouldn’t be a Twitter rampage going on about how Prince Eric isn’t white.
Then again, the last Prince Eric could hear, so you can bet your bottom dollar you would see #NotMyEric trending on Twitter.
People seem to really like this idea.
And I mean really like it.
They liked it so much that they deemed it gif worthy. Twitter doesn’t waste their gifs on just anybody.
Some even think that the relationship would be better this way.
They could develop through teaching each other about their worlds.
They could become “part of each other’s world”. Sorry for the forced song comparison.
What do you think?
Would a deaf Prince Eric work? Or do you think they should just stick to the basics now that they’ve cast an African American Ariel?
Let me know what you think, people!
