After last reporting on the project back in September of last year, Disney has dropped a surprise cast announcement today concerning one of their forthcoming live-action projects.

Deadline (who just broke the story hours ago) reported that Emma Watson has joined Disney’s live-action retelling of Beauty and the Beast as Belle, the book-loving daughter of an eccentric inventor who falls in love with the ‘Beast’ of the story. Watson also took to her Facebook to make the announcement to her fans.

This is rather surprising given that she had previously been attached to Warner Bros.’ version of Beauty and the Beast (for possibly the same role). This news now leaves that project in an even more uncertain state, as they now have to look for a new actress and a new director (Guillermo Del Toro dropped out last summer).

Directed by Bill Condon (Dreamgirls, Breaking Dawn Part 1 & 2, The Fifth Estate) from a script by author and filmmaker Stephen Chbosky (The Perks of Being a Wallflower), this adaptation joins a growing number of live-action fairy tale adaptations from Disney, following the success of 2014’s Maleficent and this year’s upcoming take on Cinderella.

Production on the film is expected to begin later this year. Whether or not the film will take a musical approach to the story still remains unknown.

What do you think? Is this perfect casting? Does it make you look forward to the film at all?

Edited by: Kelly Conley and Morgan Stradling