Emma Watson Becomes A Disney Princess For A Live-Action Adaptation Of ‘Beauty And The Beast’
Emma Watson has announced via Facebook that she will star as Belle in Disney’s new live-action adaptation of Beauty and the Beast.
The star had apparently been asked to keep the news quiet for a awhile, as she posted the following statement on her Facebook fan page.
“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 six year old self is on the ceiling – heart bursting. Time to start some singing lessons. I can’t wait for you to see it”
According to Entertainment Weekly, Dreamgirls and Twilight Saga director Bill Condon is the man responsible for making the adaptation come to life. In a recent interview, Condon stated the show added some great upgrades to the 1991 production.
“Technology, we hope, has finally caught up to that treatment of the story, so I think we’re all kind of excited to bring that brilliant, amazing score and beautiful story into three dimensions.”
The film, like the original animated version, will not only be film but also a musical. Emma’s statement regarding “music lessons,” was an expression of her not having any actual experience with vocal performing roles. Mostly known for her role as Hermoine in the Harry Potter films, Watson is no stranger to storybook tales.
The script was written by Stephen Chobsky; a writer and director whom Emma is no stranger to. Emma Watson worked under his direction in the film The Perks of Being a Wallflower. Though the making of the film has come together, it wasn’t such an easy road to its creation. Emma was attached to this role back in 2011, but Disney did not officially announce that she was cast until this week.
Film creators like Guillermo del Toro originally planned to cast Emma for an adapted version of Beauty and the Beast for Warner Bros. The project was thrown out according to The Wrap, and permission was then given to Disney to cast her instead. After the recent success for Disney films like Maleficent, bringing back a character like Belle was a good move in their opinion.
When first released, Beauty and the Beast grossed more than $375 million at box offices around the world. It was also nominated by the Academy Awards for Best Picture. Beauty and the Beast will not be the only ’90s Disney film to get the live-action treatment. Classics like, The Jungle Book and Cinderella are next in line to be re-mastered and adapted to live-action format.
Disney expects production to begin later in 2015.
[Image via DigitalSpy]
