Harry Styles passes on role of Prince Eric in The Little Mermaid

Harry Styles has passed on the role of Prince Eric in The Little Mermaid remake.

In recent weeks, it was reported that the One Direction singer was in talks to play human prince Eric opposite Halle Bailey as mermaid Ariel in Rob Marshall's upcoming live-action reboot of the 1989 animated Disney classic.  

On Tuesday, the speculation stepped up a notch when employees at both AMC Theatres and Regal Cinemas in the U.S. posted on Twitter that Harry had been cast as Eric, however, a representative for the star later confirmed that the messages were inaccurate and told Rolling Stone, "Although he is a fan of the project he has respectfully passed." 

The incorrect posts have since been deleted from both cinema chains' Twitter pages.  

According to editors at The Wrap, Marshall is set to announce further casting details in coming weeks, with production due to begin in early 2020. A potential release date has not been announced.  

So far, Melissa McCarthy has been linked to the role of the evil sea witch Ursula, while Crazy Rich Asians star Awkwafina and Room's Jacob Tremblay are set to feature as seagull Scuttle and Ariel's fish best friend Flounder, respectively. Javier Bardem is rumoured to be taking on the role of King Triton.   

Jane Goldman and David Magee are working on the script, while Hamilton's Lin-Manuel Miranda is teaming up with original The Little Mermaid composer, Alan Menken, on the score. It is believed the film will contain updated versions of songs such as Part of Your World and Under the Sea.  

Since One Direction went on hiatus in 2016, Harry, 25, has pursued a career in Hollywood, having landed a major role in Christopher Nolan's war epic Dunkirk in 2017.