We’ve got some disappointing news for you Disney and One Direction Fans. It looks like Harry Styles won’t be Prince Eric after all.
Last month, the story started spreading that Harry Styles was cast as the role of Prince Eric in Disney’s upcoming live-action adaption of The Little Mermaid. Unfortunately, it looks like that story is false.
The Wrap broke the update on this story by revealing that the original sources for the casting announcement have retracted their statements. The original information came from movie theaters AMC and Regal cinemas. The two companies have since deleted their tweets about the casting.
Both tweets are now deleted, but for a brief moment today two of the biggest theaters in the country were "breaking" news #WhatHappened 🤔 (h/t @nigelmfs) pic.twitter.com/u9abSsK6pq
— Jason Guerrasio (@JasonGuerrasio) August 13, 2019
But, it looks like the insider information wasn’t completely off. Harry’s reps reached out to explain that the singer was offered the role before later declining.
This is the tricky thing with casting news and Hollywood “source” information, it can be off. When news spread of actors “being considered” for roles, it’s usually Hollywood executives’ way of gauging how the audience will respond to the casting. Or, possibly the actor’s representatives leak the news to force the hand of the casting team. This can also be a tactic of strongarming the casting or making a play for more money. But at the end of the day, “being considered” announcements are still roles in flux. This Harry Styles update is just a clear example of that.
But, the role of Prince Eric (and Ursala for that matter) is still up for grabs. So let’s play a guessing game. Who would you pick for the role of Eric (or Ursala)? Let us know down in the comments below.
