Disney has now gone three-for-three when it comes to their live-action adaptations of their classic animated features. Alice in Wonderland brought in $1.02 billion worldwide in 2010, Maleficent brought in $758.4 million last year and Cinderella was huge this past weekend, bringing in $67.8 million in its first three days. Next up, Beauty and the Beast starring Emma Watson as Belle and Dan Stevens as the Beast and the studio has just set a March 17, 2017.
Bill Condon (Dreamgirls) is directing the live-action musical, which will be released in 3D:
Disney will release Beauty and the Beast in 3D on March 17, 2017. The beloved tale will be retold for the big screen with a modern live-action lens and the help of transformative CG magic. Emma Watson and Dan Stevens will star as Belle and the Beast/Prince respectively, and Luke Evans will play the role of Gaston. Emma Thompson has joined the cast as Mrs. Potts and Kevin Kline as Belle’s father, Maurice.
Eight-time Oscar-winner Alan Menken, who won two Academy Awards for the 1991 animated classic, will score the film, which will feature new recordings of the original songs in addition to several new songs written by Menken and Sir Tim Rice. Bill Condon will direct from a script by Stephen Chbosky (The Perks of Being a Wallflower), and the film will be produced by Mandeville Films’ David Hoberman and Todd Lieberman. Production begins in May at Shepperton Studios in London.
There is no official word of the recently reported casting of Josh Gad as Le Fou, the goofy sidekick to the villainous Gaston.
