Emma Watson will play Belle in Disney’s live-action remake of Beauty and the Beast.
The Walt Disney Co announced the casting of the Harry Potter star on Monday, setting the prettier half of the romance at the centre of the fairy tale. Who will play the Beast hasn’t yet been announced.
In a Facebook message, Watson said that she was a huge fan of the tale while growing up and that her “six-year-old self is on the ceiling.” She added: “Time to start some singing lessons!”
Watson had long been attached to the project, but it’s taken several years for the film to come together. The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn director Bill Condon is taking over from the previously attached director, Guillermo del Toro.
Disney released its animated version of Beauty and the Beast in 1991, when it became a box office success as well as the first animated film to be nominated for the best picture Oscar. Three of its songs were nominated for Oscars, with its title song, Beauty and the Beast, carrying off the award. Watson’s post suggests that the new film, will stick closer than anticipated to Disney’s earlier version, in which the songs played a key part. According to Variety, production is set to begin later in 2015, but no release date has been set.
