A source close to Harry Styles has claimed he won't be playing Prince Eric in the Little Mermaid movie, despite his Disney-prince worthy hair. Rumors about the former One Direction member taking on the role have been circulating since early summer, but the star has reportedly turned the role down.
When the news broke fans took to Twitter to voice their displeasure.
Styles previously appeared in Christopher Nolan’s acclaimed Dunkirk and was reportedly interested in playing Elvis Presley in the upcoming Baz Luhrmann biopic. The role of Elvis ultimately went to Austin Butler.
Fans immediately responded to the news on Twitter as they had hoped he’d be playing the Disney prince. Tweets ranged from the hilarious to the heartbroken.
Another user reacted with a photo of a disgruntled baby.
Fans have speculated that Styles could have turned the role down to focus on his next full-length release, dubbed 'HS2'. Styles spoke to actor Timothee Chalamet in a November 2018 i-D interview and told the Call Me By Your Name star that his second album was in the works.
Styles first released his self-titled solo album in 2017 and was recently seen in Cancun on what appeared to be a music video set, sporting a low cut sparkly shirt and teal high-waisted pants.
Another user suggested Hamilton star Jordan Fisher as an alternative for the role. Other fans have pitched in to suggest Shawn Mendes and even BTS member Jimin.
Disney has released multiple live-action films this year, including The Lion King, Dumbo and Aladdin.
Halle Bailey from group Halle x Chloe is already slated to play Ariel.
While The Little Mermaid doesn’t have a release date as of yet, the live-action adaptation has been in talks since 2016. Rob Marshall is directing and the film will be produced by John DeLuca, Marc Platt and Lin-Manuel Miranda.
