HARTFORD – Disney’s live action remake of Beauty and the Beast is set to go into production later this year, with an anticipated release date in 2017, and the cast thus far is quite star-studded.
In addition to Emma Watson as Belle, Dan Stevens as the Beast, and Emma Thompson as Mrs. Potts, Sir Ian McKellen has now confirmed that he will bring the talking grandfather clock, Cogsworth, to life in the glittering remake.
Beauty and the Beast is the latest reboot from Disney, who are also reported to be working on Mulan, Dumbo, Pinocchio, The Jungle Book and Winnie the Pooh. Past successes for them have included Alice in Wonderland, Maleficent, and most recently, Kenneth Branagh’s Cinderella.
The cast is full of excitement of the upcoming production, particularly Emma Watson, of Harry Potter fame, who posted the news on her Facebook page earlier this year:
“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. Emma xx.”
The original Beauty and the Beast movie was nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars and grossed $375 million at the global box office.
