Emma Watson joins the cast in Disney's new live-action movie, ‘Beauty and the Beast'.
Emma Watson will star as the lead character Belle, according to a press release released on Monday. The movie will be directed by the Twilight Saga director, Bill Condon and production is set to begin in 2015.
Emma Watson took to her Facebook Page to discuss the big news:
“I'm finally able to tell you … that I will be playing Belle in Disney's new live-action Beauty and the Beast! It was such a big part of my growing up, it almost feels surreal that I'll get to dance to ‘Be Our Guest' and sing ‘Something There.' My six year old self is on the ceiling — heart bursting. Time to start some singing lessons. I can't wait for you to see it,” Watson wrote.
The animated movie, Beauty and the Beast has made more than $145 million dollars in the United States alone since 1991.
Disney is taking animated movies and turning them into live-action series. Alice in Wonderland was the first movie to kickstart the live-action movement. Followed by this year's Cinderella, which is set to hit theaters on March 13 and a Jon Favreau directed version of Jungle Book which is expected to be released in April 2016.
Emma Watson's career launching movie was her role in the Harry Potter franchise series where she played Hermoine Granger. Since, then her career has skyrocketed. Outside of the Harry Potter films, she did voiceover work in the movie The Tale of Despereaux and appearing in the television adaptation of the novel Ballet Shoes. Since then, she has taken on starring roles in The Perks of Being a Wallflower and The Bling Ring, made a brief appearance as an “exaggerated” Emma Watson in This Is the End, and portrayed the title character's adopted daughter in Noah. Watson's modelling work has included campaigns for Burberry and Lancôme. As a fashion consultant, she helped create a line of clothing for People Tree. She was honoured by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts in 2014, winning for British Artist of the Year. That same year, Watson was appointed as a UN Women Goodwill Ambassador and helped launch the UN Women campaign HeForShe, which calls for men to advocate for “gender equality”.
Outside of acting Emma Watson went back to school to study at Brown University and Oxford University, graduating from Brown with a degree in English literature earlier last year.
Emma Watson has had the unique opportunity of being able to pick and choose her acting roles. This new movie will be a great start to her career as it will most likely branch on to a franchise series.
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