(Photo Credit: Anthony Harvey/Shutterstock/Walt Disney)

Who will be cast as Prince Eric for the live-action ‘The Little Mermaid’?

Earlier this week, Regal Cinemas and AMC both tweeted that Harry Styles, the British actor and singing sensation, would portray Prince Eric in Disney’s live-action reboot of “The Little Mermaid.” But just hours later, fans were inconsolable when Styles announced he had turned down the role.

Styles told the media he made an “amicable” decision to pass on playing Eric. Disney is reportedly searching for a different actor to play the role, but hasn’t cast anyone yet.

“Actor-singer Harry Styles has turned down an offer to play the role of Prince Eric in Disney’s live-action remake of “The Little Mermaid,” The Wrap reported, citing “individuals” with “exclusive knowledge” of the situation. “One of the individuals said that Styles is a fan of the project but respectfully declined.”

AMC Theaters and Regal Cinemas both deleted the tweets after the clarification.

The live-action version of “The Little Mermaid” is due in theaters in early 2020. It follows on the heels of “The Lion King” and “Aladdin,” animated Disney classics that appeared in theaters this year as live-action films. Both remakes were box office hits.

“The Little Mermaid” has already faced its share of controversy, despite still being in the production stage. When Disney announced that Halle Bailey, an African-American actress, would play the role of Ariel, some fans revolted, and #notmyariel began trending on Twitter. Disney stood by its decision to cast Bailey in the role.