Beauty and the Beast (Live-Action)

[Prince Edward]

Ewan McGregor is a wonderful actor and I think he is a great choice for the role.

[Old Fish Tale]

And Stanley Tucci will play a new character! Click here. I think they should have cast him as Lumiere instead.

[Disney Duster]

I'm weary of the "new characters" they'll add to this.

[Escapay]

Tucci will be playing Cadenza the grand piano, a new character to the realm who is described as a neurotic maestro.

So long as this isn't Forte (a.k.a. "I'm BOLTED to the WALL!"), I'm intrigued as to what this new character will bring.

Perhaps they're going to try and revive/rewrite the idea of Music Box, a deleted character who was replaced by Chip in the animated film. Maybe Cadenza will function in the same vein of confidante/best buddy like the Captain of the Guard was to Kit in Cinderella.

Still, this is quite a top-heavy cast. I wouldn't want anyone to get lost in the shuffle of what should first and foremost be Beauty and the Beast. After all, they're not making The Beauty, The Beast, His Servants, & Her Suitor*

Albert

*A hat-tip to the 1989 film The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover, but in name only. I don't expect Beauty and the Beast to contain the same amount of violence or nudity.

[lord-of-sith]

Amazing cast is amazing. It's one of those casts where there are so many quality names, that there's always one you initially forget. Disney isn't skimping on this ish.

[MeerkatKombat]

There are some very impressive names attached. I never would have imagined McGregor as Lumiere but I'm really anxious to see what he can do!

Although I have found Emma Watson some what stand-offish in interviews, I have never doubted her ability as an actress. She was always good in Harry Potter and she should hopefully be a satisfying Belle!

I'm really excited about this to the point where I want to overuse exclamation points!

No news on the Beast then? That's a make or break casting decision so I hope Disney put some serious work in and don't necessarily just go for a big name because it will sell.

[Miss Manday]

Beast was the second or third person cast. Dan Stevens.

[MeerkatKombat]

Beast was the second or third person cast. Dan Stevens.

Haha! Thanks. I just saw on buzzfeed and I've never watched Downton so have no idea who he is or if he can act.
What is it with Disney loving Downton actors at the moment? hmm.

[Disney's Divinity]

I recently re-watched Downton Abbey (after season 6 was announced to be its last) and I kept this film in mind. I think Dan Stevens will be very good in this role. I don't expect him or Watson (or several of the others) to be especially good singers, but that's just the way with film musicals. At least they're all good-to-great actors.

[DisneyFan09]

Although I have found Emma Watson some what stand-offish in interviews

She's somewhat reserved, but I don't think she's the worst case. I've seen other actors and celebrities that are more stand-offish than her. And Brits are usually reserved and stiff (no offense). I personally think she's more prim and promer than stand-offish.

[Sotiris]

Interviews with Audra McDonald.

Q: What was your reaction to being cast in the next Disney live-action film, "Beauty and the Beast," as Garderobe?

Audra McDonald: Beyond excited! I can't wait to bring the role of the Garderobe to life. The live-action film will share more of her backstory than what was featured in the animated film.

Source: http://theroanoker.com/blogs/behind/an- ... -mcdonald/

Bill Condon is creating something quite beautiful. It’s a pretty stellar cast. It was like Disney dreams come true.

Source: http://www.broadway.com/buzz/181678/exc ... mors-more/

Q: And of course you just finished filming Beauty and the Beast! What was that experience like for you?

Audra McDonald: Oh it was great. It was very special to watch something so magical come to life and to just be with that great group of people, my goodness! It's going to be pretty spectacular. I can't say more than that. It's just eye-popping and wonderful to be apart of it.

Source: http://www.broadwayworld.com/article/BW ... e-20150822


Interviews with Gugu Mbatha-Raw.

She pauses, remembers Beauty and the Beast and laughs: “Er, not sure that really needs to be told in the same way!” But she acknowledges that she was ridiculously, childishly excited about being part of it, even if she does play … a feather duster. “Go on, you can say it! Well, I thought if Emma Thompson is playing a teapot I can certainly play a feather duster …”

That transformation will come courtesy of computer animation, but for now, Mbatha-Raw is enjoying being back, bodily, onstage.

Source: http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-enter ... 96583.html

Q: You're doing Disney's live-action Beauty and the Beast, right?

Gugu Mbatha-Raw: It's my dream, I have to say. I grew up with the original animation and knew all the words to all the songs as a little kid so when I got this job, my manager will testify, I screamed so loud! It really is special. As I say the actors on that cast... A lot of it is animated so we didn't get to see a lot of each other but then the last scene all of us... I got to ballroom dance with Ewan McGregor around this Disney ballroom. It's kind of ridiculous!

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U1GhXS1WBbE

Q: Do you sing in Beauty and the Beast?

Gugu Mbatha-Raw: I do. It's so exiting! I play Plumette and a lot of my character is animated. I was only on set a couple of days but they were magical days. We were in London and you've got Ewan McGregor, who's my dance partner that we're ballroom dancing around this Disney ballroom, Emma Thompson playing Mrs. Potts, Ian McKellen playing Cogsworth. It's such a wonderful British cast and it's one of my favorite Disney films.

Q: What should fans of the original be looking forward to?

Gugu Mbatha-Raw: Oh, my gosh. It's just everything you'll expect and more. Also, there's Josh Gad and Luke Evans to me are just so hilarious, they play LeFou and Gaston, and they're just hilarious. So, it's got all the magic and the romance of the original but it's also very funny.

Source: http://www.eonline.com/news/771216/gugu ... east-movie


Interviews with Emma Thompson.

For Disney’s forthcoming live-action take on Beauty and the Beast (due in 2017), Thompson lent her voice to the computer-generated teapot Mrs. Potts, played in the classic animated film by Angela Lansbury.

“Imagine walking once more into Angela’s shoes!” Thompson mused. So, how did she inhabit Lansbury’s famous teapot? “I think I just had to make her as warm and round and scouting as possible,” Thompson said, adding with a laugh, “I have spent a lot of time considering the emotional life of crockery.”

Source: http://www.vulture.com/2015/09/emma-tho ... apots.html

Q: How do you play a teapot? Is it CGI?

Emma Thompson: It's CGI. Let's face it. I'm a teapot in CGI for a long time and then you get turned back into [a human], so really it's a lot of work in a studio but I did try to sound sort of rigid and shiny as possible.

Q: You sing, yes?

Emma Thompson: Well, I sing Angela Lansbury's part as Mrs. Potts.

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=We8-CDVWhPI


Interview with Stanley Tucci.

You walked onto this set and you felt like you were a kid again. Everyone was just in awe. And things were done practically. There were hundreds of candles that they would light by hand for every take. I've never seen anything like it. It was really like old-fashioned filmmaking.

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6p-ePv51yRM


Interview with Obioma Ugoala.

Q: You are in Disney’s film adaptation of Beauty and the Beast. What can you tell us about being a part of that production?

Obioma Ugoala: I think everybody has some connection to the original film. Be it the pre-Frozen heroine that is book-smart Belle or the amazing soundtrack (or in my case a rather disastrous attempt at a home made Beast costume), it’s a wonderful story. On the first day of the read through you could look around the room and between Alan Menken, Bill Condon, Ian McKellen, Emma Thompson and Emma Watson you could just tell it was going to be something special. On a side note, I massively fanboyed when I met Audra McDonald. She is genuinely phenomenal. And yet so down to earth.

Source: https://www.londontheatre1.com/news/143 ... e-musical/


Interviews with Emma Watson.

Next year will see Watson take the lead role as Belle in Disney’s live-action remake of Beauty and the Beast. She knew all the words to the songs as a child and now gets to fulfill every girl’s dream in a surefire box office smash, judging by the recent success of Cinderella and The Jungle Book. “I loved that she was this feisty heroine whose whole life wasn’t about marrying the most handsome guy in the village,” Watson says of her character. “Belle wants to read, she wants to go on adventures and be her own woman, her own person. She was one of my first tastes of feminism, so it’s pretty cool to play her now.”

Source: http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-enter ... 98016.html

Q: What's like fulfilling every girl's fantasy in playing Belle?

Emma Watson: Amazing. It's just every girl's dream, really. I loved her as a child. I loved all the music, I knew all the lyrics and I loved that she was just this feisty heroine whose whole life wasn't about marrying the most handsome guy in the village. She wanted to read and she wanted to go on adventures and she wanted to be her own woman and her own person. She's probably one of my first tastes of feminism. So, it's pretty cool to be playing her now.

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TH0WGanHJf8

[MeerkatKombat]

I wish they had chosen Angela Lansbury to reprise her role of Mrs Potts. Can't see anyone else in the role and singing that song.

[Escapay]

Tim Rice & Alan Menken are writing new songs for the live-action remake

"At the moment, right now, I am working on some songs with Alan Menken for the new live action version of BEAUTY & THE BEAST - which is a return to working with my chums at Disney, which is fine. I am enjoying it very much."

I'm curious as to what these new songs would be, and whether they are replacing some of the pre-existing ones, rewriting the pre-existing ones (similar to the new lyrics for several songs in the Newsies musical), or simply adding to the song list.

Albert

[robster16]

I'm actually very very glad that they'll use CGI, in the context of the original movie they are turned into objects with actual functions. It's much more satisfying and also part of the appeal of the original to give these objects certain limitations in terms of scale, use of limbs, etc, etc. It will give the entire movie an entire sense of magic that simply can not be achieved with costumed actors. I actually also hope they use CGI on Dan as well as the beast, so they completely alter his appearance and size compared to Belle. He needs to be LARGE and intense!

The cast is looking amazing, although like many others, they'll have a hard time to try and make me forget the original cast and the animated wonder of the original. There simply is no other animated classic like this one!

Btw it is confirmed that filming on this production started yesterday!

Some bonus pics of Luke Evans and Josh Gad recording their songs for the movie:

https://40.media.tumblr.com/e355d548594 ... 1_1280.jpg
https://40.media.tumblr.com/96df48c96af ... 1_1280.jpg

[Toky]

I actually also hope they use CGI on Dan as well as the beast, so they completely alter his appearance and size compared to Belle. He needs to be LARGE and intense!

Agree on the shape and size of the beast, but hope that the face will be partly make-up/mask, since the CGI face in La Belle et la Bete(2014) didn't look that great…. I'm sure the objects will be full rendered objects like the animated…Since the theater versions will be hard to translate to film…

Great catch on the pics….so glad this is going to be a musical can't wait to hear Emma's rendition of Home…Funny thing they're going to bring the musical back to stage here in the Netherlands, right in time for the movie...

[Disney's Divinity]

Tim Rice & Alan Menken are writing new songs for the live-action remake

Albert

Nice to have this question answered, although I'm wondering where new songs could end up? Maybe I could see a new song for Belle after "TMS" where she realizes the extent of her feelings with the Beast? (Which, btw, makes me wonder if they'll be including "A Change in Me"?) Perhaps something between the duet/"Transformation" and the ending reprise of "B&tB"?

I also had a stray, unrelated thought about how similar Belle running back to the castle at the end is to Pocahontas running to stop John Smith's execution in Pocahontas (or, rather, the other way around).

[robster16]

Disney will be posting behind-the-scenes updates from the set of Beauty and the Beast on snapchat! Follow the username "Disney" or "DisneyStudio" to receive updates from the set. The first image they posted was a shot of the shooting script for the movie!

https://www.facebook.com/DisneyBeautyAn ... 97/?type=1
https://www.facebook.com/81755286161459 ... 94/?type=1

[disneyprincess11]

According to Gad, they already did the "Beauty & the Beast" scene

https://twitter.com/joshgad/status/6038 ... 92/photo/1

[DisneyFan09]

I also had a stray, unrelated thought about how similar Belle running back to the castle at the end is to Pocahontas running to stop John Smith's execution in Pocahontas (or, rather, the other way around).

Although I find the scores for "Beauty" and "Pocahontas" to be quite similar, actually, I don't find those cues identical.

[robster16]

they posted a director's folding chair with a movie logo on it on snapchat yesterday!