Looks like her time spent in Bella boot camp has paid dividends, as Emma Watson simply lights up the screen in this all-new clip for Disney’s Beauty and the Beast.
Performing a modernized version of “Belle,” Watson’s lead can be seen interacting with Maurice and other townsfolk on her way to the market. Perhaps one of the lesser-known facets of Bill Condon’s live-action reboot is that Alan Menken, the Oscar-winning composer who drew praise (and two Oscar wins!) for his celebrated work on the 1991 original, is back to score Beauty and the Beast, and up above you’ll get but a taste of what to expect come March 17th. Indeed, today’s snippet launched online to commemorate the film’s press tour getting underway in Paris, signalling that Condon’s live-action fairytale is now finally on the homestretch.
Emma Watson is one of the film’s two principal leads opposite Dan Stevens (Legion), who will take point as the Prince/Beast. Of course, longtime fans of Beauty and the Beast will know fine well that their iconic romance is very much the beating heart of the story, but Disney has assembled a who’s who of Hollywood talent to fill the casting docket, including Ewan McGregor as the kindhearted Lumière, Emma Thompson as Mrs. Potts, Josh Gad as LeFou, Ian McKellen as Cogsworth, Audra McDonald as Gaderobe, Gugu Mbatha-Raw as Plumette, and Luke Evans as the gregarious Gaston.
Beauty and the Beast will bow on March 17th and is one of many, many live-action re-imaginings on the way from the Mouse House. For instance, over the weekend we learned that Jon Favreau’s The Lion King had taken a massive step toward production following the two-fold casting coup of Donald Glover (Simba) and James Earl Jones (Mufasa).