Casting Call: Beauty and the Beast
In which we suggest who should star in the next big adaptation, remake, or historical film.
Following Disney’s recent success at the box office with Maleficent, which has already grossed over $170 million worldwide, the studio has announced its next archive adaptation: a live-action version of Beauty and the Beast.
Set to direct this tale as old as time is writer-director Bill Condon, best known for his adaptions of Dreamgirls. The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn part 1 and part 2, and for writing the screenplay for Chicago. Joining Condon is Evan Spiliotopoulos, who will pen the screenplay. Spiliotopoulos has previously worked very closely with Disney, writing movies like The Jungle Book 2, Lion King 1 1/2, and Tarzan II.
Disney originally released Beauty and the Beast as an animated feature in 1991. The film was loosely based on Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont‘s 1757 version of the fairy tale, and adapted by Linda Woolverton. In it, a beautiful, intelligent young woman named Belle trades places with her father, the hapless inventor Maurice, when he is captured by a mysterious and seemingly vicious creature named the Beast. As the Beast’s prisoner, Belle lives in a castle with hundreds of objects that come to life. The objects are very friendly; the Beast is not. While at first, Belle and the Beast don’t get along, after a romantic evening together, they fall madly in love.
It’s unclear whether the new version will draw its plot from the 1991 film (like Maleficent did with Sleeping Beauty) or look at the original source material (like Snow White and the Huntsman). That said, as Maleficent made more money over its opening weeked than the Snow White and the Huntsman, so we’re going to assume Disney will stick with the formula that works the best. Click through the slideshow is who we think should star in the live-action remake of the Beauty and the Beast.
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