We have our Belle (Emma Watson), and just an hour ago we learned that Luke Evans will be Gaston. And now we bring news of another major addition to the cast of Disney’s live-action adaptation of Beauty and the Beast.
Courtesy of Collider, and stemming from The Hollywood Reporter, Dan Stevens (best known for his role as Matthew Crawley on Downtown Abbey) has officially been cast as the Beast!
This will be Dan’s first high-profile role since leaving Downtown Abbey, as he recently starred opposite Liam Neeson in 2014’s A Walk Among the Tombstones. The reports also tell us that the role of the Beast was pretty heavily-contested, with Eddie Redmayne having previously been offered the role before eventually turning it down.
It’s not known at this time whether or not Dan Stevens will portray the character through the use of heavy makeup/prosthetics or motion-capture CG. Considering the advancements in the latter as far as allowing an actor’s performance to come through, I definitely wouldn’t rule out some sort of CG element.
The film will be directed by Bill Condon (Dreamgirls, Breaking Dawn Part 1 & 2, The Fifth Estate) from a screenplay by author and filmmaker Stephan Chbosky (The Perks of Being a Wallflower). David Hoberman and Todd Lieberman will produce through their Mandeville Films banner.
As noted before, the film will have a musical component and will feature songs from the animated film in addition to new music composed by one of the animated film’s original composers, Alan Menken.
The film will begin production later this year on an as-of-yet unknown release date.
What do you think? Did they pick the right actor for the role? Does this make you excited for the film?
Edited by: Kajsa Rain Forden
