Javier Bardem in talks for The Little Mermaid

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Javier Bardem is reportedly in talks for 'The Little Mermaid'.

The 50-year-old actor is believed to be lined up for the role of King Triton in Disney's upcoming live-action remake of the popular animation which was first released in 1989.

If Javier does land the role, he'll be playing the father of the titular mermaid, known as Ariel, who will be played by 19-year-old actress and singer Halle Bailey.

'The Little Mermaid' tells the story of a young mermaid named Ariel - who will be played by Halle Bailey in the remake - who is fascinated with life on land and on one of her visits to the surface, meets and falls in love with Prince Eric.

Determined to be with her love, Ariel makes a deal with the evil sea witch Ursula to exchange her beautiful voice for human legs, but she must seal the deal with a kiss within three days, or she will lose her voice forever.

In the original movie, King Triton disapproves of his daughter's interest in life above water, but is forced to come to Ariel's aid when her deal with Ursula doesn't go according to plan.

Javier's rumoured casting - which was first reported by Deadline - comes just days after it was speculated that One Direction star Harry Styles is in talks to play the handsome Prince Eric, following his acting success in 2017's 'Dunkirk'.

Most recently, Harry was one of the contenders for the role of Elvis Presley in Baz Luhrmann's upcoming biopic on the King of Rock n' Roll, and Deadline claims the hunk was waiting to see if he landed the job before committing to 'The Little Mermaid'.

Austin Butler came out on top for the Elvis Presley role, and so it is now believed Harry will commit to Prince Eric instead.

Awkwafina and Jacob Tremblay are also said to be in talks for roles in the Rob Marshall-helmed reboot, with Awkwafina set to portray Scuttle the seagull, while 12-year-old Jacob will lend his voice to the role of faithful fish friend Flounder.