The lovely Harry Potter alum will star as Belle in the upcoming live-action adaptation of Beauty and the Beast! Emma Watson excitedly posted the following message on Facebook, “I’m finally able to tell you … that I will be playing Belle in Disney’s new live-action ‘Beauty and the Beast’! It was such a big part of my growing up, it almost feels surreal that I’ll get to dance to ‘Be Our Guest’ and sing ‘Something There’. My 6-year-old self is on the ceiling — heart bursting. Time to start some singing lessons. I can’t wait for you to see it.”
Disney will ramp up production for this film later this year with Twilight: Breaking Dawn director Bill Condon in charge of the project. Disney’s live-action version of Cinderella opens in theaters this March, looks like Disney is all about spinning new versions of classic tales.
The famed studio’s 1991 animated Beauty and the Beast has netted nearly $425 million since its release and the film won two Oscars. With the success of Disney’s live-action ‘Maleficent’ (a cool $750 million in global box office sales), it’s no wonder Disney is opting for this bankable route… Please let The Little Mermaid and Aladdin get the same live-action treatment!
Emma Watson is the perfect actress to take on the book smart and kind Belle. (Their resemblance is really astounding.) Thank goodness she turned down the Cinderella role offered to her first! It will be fascinating to see who gets cast as Gaston and the Beast himself. I feel that Ian Somerhalder could be an interesting selection for Gaston, but is he beefy enough? Maybe hunky Liam Hemsworth would work? Tall, dark, and handsome for sure.
