Bill Condon’s BEAUTY AND THE BEAST has just received a dose of geek royalty.
Gandalf/Magneto himself, Ian McKellen, will play Cogsworth in Disney’s upcoming live-action remake. As you may remember, Cogsworth is a clock (originally voiced by David Odgen Stiers) who is a close companion of Lumiere the candlestick, and who formerly served as the human butler (before, you know, The Beast fucked it all up for everybody).
I remember Cogsworth being a little more squirrelly and fuddy-duddy than the roles we usually associate with the deep-voiced McKellen, but I am sure he’ll be stern and proper as the literally disembodied butler tries to keep some semblance of order as Belle warps the energy of the household (albeit for the better). I can’t wait to hear him bounce off of Emma Thompson’s Mrs. Potts; I don’t believe the two have ever acted together, despite both being legends of British stage and screen.
Is Patrick Stewart as Lumiere way, way too much to hope for??
BEAUTY AND THE BEAST will be your guest on March 17th, 2017.
