‘Beauty and the Beast’ remake set for March 2017; adds Kline, Thompson
Be their guest -- in two years. Disney’s remake of “Beauty and the Beast” will hit theaters March 17, 2017, the studio announced Monday.
The live-action 3-D film also has added Emma Thompson and Kevin Kline to its cast, Disney said in the announcement. Kline will play Maurice, father of Belle, and with the help of CG, Thompson will portray Mrs. Potts, an anthropomorphic teapot.
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FOR THE RECORD
March 17, 12:07 p.m.: An earlier version of this article incorrectly described character Mrs. Potts as a teacup. She is a teapot.
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Thompson and Kline join Emma Watson as Belle, Dan Stevens as the Beast/Prince and Luke Evans as Gaston. Directed by Bill Condon (“Dreamgirls” and the final two “Twilight” movies), “Beauty” is based on Disney’s much beloved 1991 animated musical fairy tale about a young woman held captive by a furry brute.
Composer Alan Menken, who won two Oscars for that film, will score the remake, and the soundtrack is to feature new recordings of the original songs as well as new songs written by Menken and Tim Rice.
One of Disney’s latest live-action remakes of an animated movie, “Beauty and the Beast” will open nearly two years to the day after “Cinderella,” which bowed to a studio-estimated $70.1 million in the U.S. and Canada this past weekend, good for the No. 1 spot.
“Beauty and the Beast” currently has its 2017 release date to itself. Production begins in London in May.
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