Emma Watson has firmly stepped out of the shoes of Hermione from the Harry Potter movies with a number of post-Potter films, and in the latest she is to play Belle in upcoming blockbuster Beauty and the Beast.
It is an adaptation of the classic fairy-tale about a monstrous prince and a young woman who fall in love. A recent teaser trailer gives little away, with Emma herself making a fleeting appearance.
Playing the beast is Dan Stevens of Downton Abbey fame, Luke Evan from The Hobbit franchise is Gaston while his Hobbit alumnus Ian McKellan is Cogsworth. Rounding out the all-star cast are Emma Thompson as Mrs Potts, Kevin Kline as Maurice and Ewan McGregor as Lumiere.
Emma (26) is arguably the most successful of the young actors from the Harry Potter franchise, outdoing even Potter himself Daniel Radcliffe. Another of her films in post-production is ‘The Circle’ featuring Tom Hanks also. In this, a woman lands a job at a powerful tech company called the Circle, where she becomes involved with a mysterious man. She was named the ‘Highest Grossing Actress of the Decade’ by the Guinness Book of World Records in 2009.
Emma was previously offered the lead role in 2015 movie Cinderella but turned it down. The role went to Lily James fresh from her time on Downton Abbey and was a big success.
Now we have Emma at the head of a Disney blockbuster, Due for release in 2017, Beauty and the Beast promises to be a lavish affair with plenty of exciting set pieces, The director is Bill Condon who helmed two of the blockbuster Twilight films.
There are high expectations as the teaser trailer alone set the record for the most views in its first 24 hours with a staggering 91.8 million views. It even bet the record set by fellow Disney film ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens.’
The classic tale has enchanted people for years and the new film has already happily been able to channel into the immediate recognition of the name.
Dan Stevens did not appear in the teaser trailer so we have yet to see how he will be transformed into the Beast. Since leaving Downton Abbey he has been busy forging a career. He has appeared alongside Liam Nesson action flick ‘A Walk Among the Tombstones’ in 2014 and John Travolta in ‘Criminal Activities’ in 2015.
As well as Beauty and the Beast he has four other films in post-production including ‘Colossal’ alongside Anne Hathaway.
Hopes are high that the new film will be a monster success.