Live-Action 'Beauty and the Beast' to Hit Theaters March 17, 2017
Mon, March 16, 2015 
Hot on the heels of their successful live-action redo of Cinderella (#1 at the box office this weekend with $70 million, 83% on Rotten Tomatoes), Walt Disney Pictures has officially dated their next - Beauty and the Beast - exactly two years from tomorrow, March 17, 2017.
Being directed by Bill Condon (Dreamgirls), this newest update of the classic Disney fairytale will star Emma Watson (Harry Potter series) as Belle, Dan Stevens (Downton Abbey) as Prince/Beast and Luke Evans (Dracula Untold) as Gaston. Emma Thompson (Saving Mr. Banks) has also joined the cast, playing Mrs. Potts, while Kevin Kline (Life as a House) will play Belle's father, Maurice.
Stephen Chbosky (The Perks of Being a Wallflower) wrote the script with an earlier version by Evan Spiliotopoulos (Hercules).
The film will be a blend of modern CGI magic mixed with real life actors to bring the beloved classic to a whole new generation.
While I'm sure Disney knows full well in what they're doing in not tarnishing the legacy of their animated classics, Beauty and the Beast is a whole other animal (no pun intended) to live up to.
The original 1991 film was not only a huge hit both with critics and audiences, but it became the first animated film ever to be nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars. Yes, and that was when there were only 5 nominees!
Hopefully this newest version can at least be a solid entry (much like Cinderella), but given it's animated predecessor, I'm expecting great.
Source: Walt Disney Pictures
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