Who else is suggested? BTS Jimin, Ian Somerhalder and Noah Centineo?! Fans are flocking to Twitter to suggest who should get the role of Prince Eric.
7 July 2019 by Fachana Techamaneewat
Since Haille Bailey was announced to play Ariel in Disney's The Little Mermaid live-action, fans have been tweeting a variety of actors who they'd love to see as Prince Eric.
Of course, some fans forgot to keep in mind Halle’s age before they started suggesting actors. Since Halle’s only 19, Prince Eric needs to be somewhere age-appropriate to be playing her romantic partner, right?
So, unfortunately, despite seeming to be fan favourites, Vampire Diaries' Ian Somerhalder AKA Damon Salvatore and Man of Steel's Henry Cavill AKA Superman, probably won't make the cut.
On the bright side, though, can you guess whose names that came up quite often in fans' suggestions that did fit the appropriate age range?
It was none other than One Direction's Harry Styles, singer Shawn Mendes, To All The Boys I Loved Before's Noah Centineo and BTS' Jimin.
Some fans even think that Nick Jonas might have the role since he tweeted this out in response to Haille's casting:
Could it be that he means, "Can't wait to work with you?" At least that's what excited fans are speculating. He's definitely no stranger to the acting world, especially with Midway and Jumanji: The Next Level set to release later this year,
But let's take a look at the rest of the nominees for Prince Eric.
Harry Styles has not done a lot of acting; however, he did have a role back in 2017 in Dunkirk as Alex, and he did a pretty good job. We don't think Harry should be out of the race just yet.
However, Shawn Mendes doesn't really have any acting credits to his name. Well, he was in one episode of The 100 series, but his character mainly played on the piano. Appropriate, though.
Unfortunately for fans, it looks like he might not make on the shortlist.
Next, we have Noah Centineo, an upcoming star since his breakthrough role in To All The Boys I Loved Before as Peter. His popularity is rising, and he has a solid fan base.
And last but not least, we have BTS' Jimin! Although he really does fit the appearance of Prince Eric, especially when he has black hair, he, unfortunately cannot speak English fluently.
...But perhaps a South Korean remake of the Little Mermaid? He definitely has the fan base to make it a successful film, don't you think?
But some fans are going even further than the usual suggestions. They're calling for a female Eric.
Princess Erica anybody?
Fans are thinking that if Disney is already shaking things up with Ariel being black, then they might as well go a step further and turn Prince Eric into a Princess Erica.
And some fans are digging the idea.
Taylor Swift, Scarlett Johansson, Ariana Grande are just some of the celebrities that have been suggested by fans.
And who else think it's time for fairytales to be caught up with the times? If not with this live-action remake, then maybe in another one.
And it's not such a long shot for Disney. After all, Disney has already been taking strides to represent the LGBTQ+ community in their picture.
For example, in their latest Disney Channel series, Andi Mack, Cyrus Goodman (Joshua Rush) was the first character ever on the Disney Channel to say “I’m gay.”
Not only that, but The Beauty and the Beast live-action also featured Gaston’s sidekick, LeFou (Josh Gad) as gay too. And now with Frozen 2 being announced, fans are clamouring for Elsa to have a girlfriend.
What do you think? Do you agree with any of the choices that fans suggested, or do you have some of your own? Or maybe you're rooting for a Princess Erica?
Let us know your thoughts.
The Little Mermaid is scheduled to begin production next year in April 2020.
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Fachana Techamaneewat is a news writer at Exclusive Hollywood and is responsible for researching and writing news articles while providing story updates wherever necessary.
Fun fact: On the weekends, she's an avid writer for practically anything. Her current obsession is the Umbrella Academy, and as of now, is writing a book.
