Disney's live-action Little Mermaid to star a black Ariel

R&B singer Halle Bailey said it was a "dream come true" to play the lead role.PHOTO: AFP

NEW YORK (AFP): R&B singer Halle Bailey is to play Ariel in a live-action version of The Little Mermaid, she said on Wednesday (July 3), in a rare casting of a black actress as a Disney princess.

Bailey, 19, who rose to fame under the wing of pop queen Beyonce, said it was a "dream come true" to play the lead role.