The whole world cheered for Emma Watson when she announced that she was going to play Belle in Disney’s live-action adaptation of “Beauty and the Beast“. However, the “The Perks of Being a Wallflower“ actress won’t be the only one we are cheering for because not one, but two oh-so-charming actors are reportedly in negotiations to play the famed characters from the Disney classic.
Following the success of the live-action adaptation of “Maleficent”, Disney is set to bring another Disney classic to the big screen soon. Dan Stevens and Luke Evans are currently in talks to play the Beast/Prince and Gaston respectively.
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Dan Stevens is best known for his role as Matthew Crawley in the British period drama television series “Downton Abbey”. The English actor began his professional acting in 2004 when Peter Hall cast him as Orland in his touring production of Shakespeare’s “As You Like It”. He received positive reviews from the prominent critics in England and the US due to his outstanding performance in the play. His departure from “Downton Abbey” even caused a huge uproar with fans as they were upset at his character’s untimely death.
The actor last starred in last year’s cult-ready thriller “The Guest” as a psycho killer named David Andersen Collins. He also had supporting roles in “Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb” and “A Walk Among the Tombstones”. Before he plays the Beast/Prince in “Beauty and the Beast”, he will be playing Noah in “Criminal Activities” and James in “The Ticket”.
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As for Luke Evans, he is set to play Gaston, the villainous antagonist who tried to hunt down the Beast after his failed attempts to win Belle’s heart. The Welsh actor got his biggest break when he was cast as Apollo in the “Clash of the Titans” 2010 remake. He is also known for his role as the main antagonist Owen Shaw in the blockbuster “Furious 6″ and as Bard the Bowman in Peter Jackson’s “The Hobbit” trilogy.
After playing the vampire Dracula in the character’s film origin story, “Dracula Untold”, he will star alongside Tom Hiddleston and Jeremy Irons in Ben Wheatley’s “High Rise” and “Free Fire”.
Based on a French fairy tale, “Beauty of the Beast” is about a young woman who takes her father’s place as a prisoner in a monstrous being’s castle, only to fall in love with the creature, who turns out to be a prince.
Director Bill Condon (of “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn” fame) is set to direct the film while Stephen Chbosky will pen the script based on the draft written by Evan Spiliotopoulos. David Hoberman and Todd Lieberman will produce the film under their Mandeville Films production company. However, the movie will not hit cinemas until the release of the new “Cinderella” movie in March 2015 and Jon Favreau‘s “The Jungle Book” in 2016.
No further casting news have been announced yet but who do you think should join the film too? Are you excited to watch this movie? Share your thoughts in the comments box below.
(Source: THR)