Disney's live-action remake of The Little Mermaid has proven to be a big success, making a big splash at the box office and drawing high scores with audiences. That leaves the door open for the House of Mouse to potentially pursue a sequel, much in the way the original animated film had done with its follow-up movie The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea. The animated sequel could even serve as inspiration for where a follow-up to the live-action remake could go. But would the stars of The Little Mermaid be interested in returning as Ariel and Eric?

In the new film, Ariel is played by Halle Bailey alongside Jonah Hauer-King as Eric. Recently, the co-stars had spoken with Narcity about potentially returning for The Little Mermaid 2, and they both seemed to be interested. For Bailey, she would appear to be on board as such a big fan of the original animated verison of Back to the Sea. Meanwhile, Hauer-King also says he'd be up for returning, though he'd like to put on the added twist of letting Eric become a merman as well.

"In the second one, I think, do they become… what happens there?" Hauer-King initially responded to the question of a sequel happening.

"In the second one, they have a girl, a baby girl, and she wants to go into the water, it’s like a reverse thing," Bailey responded. "I love that movie."

Hauer-King then said back, "I would be up for doing it. I kind of would like to also be a merman, so, we can also somehow evolve that storyline, to go with her."

Related: Halle Bailey Says Brandy's Cinderella Was a Big Inspiration for The Little Mermaid Role

Will There Be a Sequel to The Little Mermaid?

That Halle Bailey Little Mermaid (1)
Disney

There hasn't been any real talk about a sequel happening to The Little Mermaid at this time, but anything can happen. When we look at the immediate financial success of the film, that certainly makes those prospects much more likely. Even so, it's hard to say for sure that The Little Mermaid 2 will definitely go into production. There had been early reports of Aladdin, another very successul live-action remake, getting a sequel, but star Mena Massoud has since cast doubt on that ever coming to be. However, a prequel to the remake of The Lion King is in active development, so perhaps it could go either way.

There's enough source material to turn this into a trilogy if that's what Disney wants to do. After The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Seawas released directly to video in 2000, a third installment of the series, dubbed The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Beginning, was released on 2008. That film was a prequel, taking place before the events of the original animated movie. Meanwhile, there was also an animated series adaptation that aired on television in the early 1990s.

Disney's live-action remake of The Little Mermaid, starring Halle Bailey and Jonah Hauer-King, is now playing in movie theaters everywhere.