Jeremy here...
Bill Condon's live-action take on BEAUTY AND THE BEAST has been rounding up quite the intriguing cast over the last few months. Emma Watson is, of course, playing Belle, THE GUEST's Dan Stevens will break hearts as the accursed Beast (marking his second collaboration with Condon after 2013's THE FIFTH ESTATE), while Luke Evans and Josh Gad will provide villainy and bumbling, respectively, as Gaston and Lefou. These are all fine choices. But what we've been waiting to find out is who will succeed Angela Lansbury as Mrs. Potts.
Does Emma Thompson work for you? Oh, and how about Kevin Kline as Belle's inventor father, Maurice?
This is some home-run casting for a film that has the potential to be so much more than a brand expanding opportunity for Disney. As they proved with Kenneth Branagh's CINDERELLA, they're open to new, somewhat challenging adaptations of their animated classics. I was on board already, but the addition of Thompson and Kline seals the deal. Now we need a Lumiere. I'm thinking someone French. With an Oscar. Make it happen, Disney!
