In recent years, Disney has taken to adapting some of its classic animated properties for live-action, either staying true to the original movie – as was the case with Kenneth Branagh’s Cinderella – or putting a new twist on a beloved tale, like the Angelina Jolie-starring Maleficent. This year alone has seen two remakes of classic properties from Disney, including The Jungle Book and the more recently released Pete’s Dragon. However, there are more films to look forward to in the coming years, such as Bill Condon’s Beauty and the Beast.
Scheduled for release in March 2017, Disney’s live-action Beauty and the Beast will re-imagine the studio’s classic 1991 Oscar-winning animated feature. Disney has already begun teasing the upcoming feature with an official poster and a short promo focused on the classic rose image. Now, we have our first look at the film’s villain as well as some of the property’s beloved supporting players.
Images from the set of Beauty and the Beast were revealed on Twitter that will appear on the Golden Diamond Collector’s Super Edition of Disney’s original animated film. The first image features the live-action versions of Lumiere and Cogsworth, who will be brought to life by CGI in the film and voiced by Ewan McGregor and Ian McKellen respectively; the second image appears to be from the musical number “Gaston” and features Josh Gad as Le Fou as well as Luke Evans as Gaston. Take a look:
sO EXCITED UGH pic.twitter.com/UH0LUmygoS— mac (@maconodom) August 25, 2016
EXCITED pic.twitter.com/3oLvqt80pf— mac (@maconodom) August 26, 2016
Rounding out the cast of Disney’s live-action Beauty and the Beast are Emma Watson as Belle, Dan Stevens as the Beast, Emma Thompson as Mrs. Potts, Kevin Kline as Belle’s father Maurice, and Stanley Tucci as Cadenza. The latest draft of the script comes from Perks of Being a Wallflower scribe Stephen Chbosky. So far, aside from these set photos, only Watson’s Belle has been seen in the promotional lead up to the film.
As these images from the set of Beauty and the Beast seem to indicate, the film will be more of a straight retelling of the animated classic than a new reinvention – though the movie’s composer, Alan Menken, confirmed there will be new songs. The image of Cogsworth and Lumiere reveals that they will receive updated, and rather intricate, designs for the film, though still staying true to their animated versions, while the latter photo teases one of fans’ favorite songs from the animated original.
That said, although Beauty and the Beast may not veer too far away from the original story, Disney’s animated classic is beloved by many and a chance to see the live-action version will likely be enough to bring fans to the theater. If the box office returns and critical responses to The Jungle Book and Cinderella are any indication, moviegoers are enjoying Disney’s live-action updates on the animated classics, so Beauty and the Beast may be another success for the studio.
Beauty and the Beast will see theatrical release in the U.S. on March 17, 2017.
