Halle Bailey Has a Few Major Upcoming Movies She’s Starring In
Halle Bailey is ready to take the acting world by storm on a higher level. The former Chloe x Halle member and Grown-ish star has two major movies slated for release. Both are remakes. One is a Disney classic, and the other is one of the most iconic pieces in Black cinema.
She’s starring as Ariel in ‘The Little Mermaid’
Bailey is lending her voice and acting talent in the live-action remake of Disney’s The Little Mermaid. The film was completed at the height of the coronavirus pandemic, with Bailey having to live overseas for production. She shared a snap of herself as Ariel, adorned with her full tail in the ocean, in an Instagram post.
“And just like that..that’s a wrap. After auditioning for this film when I was 18 just about to turn 19, to now finishing filming through a pandemic when I turned 21…we have finally made it,” she captioned the photo in part. “It has been the toughest experience being away from everything and everyone I’ve ever known, to feeling self-doubt/ loneliness, but also feeling such freedom and perseverance as I’ve reached the end. This experience has made me so much stronger than I ever thought I could be.”
Bailey has since immersed herself in the Disney family, performing at the 50th anniversary of Walt Disney theme parks. She sang Beyonce’s “Can You Feel The Love Tonight” from the 2019 remake of The Lion King and had fans excited over what she’ll bring as Ariel.
The film’s director, Rob Marshall, announced in 2019 that Bailey was cast in the movie as Ariel. “It was abundantly clear that Halle possesses that rare combination of spirit, heart, youth, innocence, and substance — plus a glorious singing voice — all intrinsic qualities necessary to play this iconic role,” he said in a Disney release at the time.
The singer is also in a reimagined musical film adaptation of ‘The Color Purple’ alongside a slew of other notables
Aside from The Little Mermaid, Bailey will also be in the newest film version of The Color Purple. The star-studded cast includes Bailey as Nettie, the sister of the lead character Celie; Danielle Brooks as Sofia, Taraji P. Henson as the sexy nightclub singer Shug Avery; Fantasia as the lead role of Celie; Corey Hawkins as Harpo, Celie’s abusive and older husband; Cole Domingo as Mister; and H.E.R. as Squeak.
The original 1985 film starred Whoop Goldberg, Oprah Winfrey, and Danny Glover in lead roles. The historical drama piece centers on the difficult lives of Southern Black women. Blitz Bazawule is directing the reimagined film, which is based on the 1982 novel by Alice Walker of the same title. Bazawule co-directed Black Is King, the Beyoncé-produced visual that accompanies the 2019 remake of The Lion King.
Several of the cast members, including Bailey, shared their excitement at being cast in the film to their social media accounts. “Feeling oh so grateful to be a part of this historic film as nettie – thank you God,” she captioned an Instagram post of the announcement alongside a heart emoji.
Film production is set to begin in Georgia in March 2022. Oprah serves as an executive producer and promises that the reimagined version is completely different. In a chat with Vanity Fair, the media maven was reported saying, “This ain’t your mama’s Color Purple.”
