The role for Belle in Disney’s live action adaptation of Beauty and The Beast has been cast, and it will go to none other than the fabulous Emma Watson.
Watson is best known for her role as Hermione Granger in the successful Harry Potter franchise. The 24-year-old Watson has recently been featured in such films as 2013’s This Is The End and 2014’s Noah, but the task of playing one of Disney’s most iconic princesses is one Watson has coveted for a long while, which she stated on her Facebook page.
“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. Emma xx.”
Beauty and The Beast is the next Disney animation to receive the live-action treatment. The studio released Maleficent during the Summer of 2014, and will debut Cinderella and Jungle Book on 2015.
Currently, Watson is the only official cast announcement, but with the film set for a tentative release date of 2016, news of potential additions will likely be coming in the very near future.