“Beauty and the Beast” to be released March 2017, Le Fou Casted

Emma Watson’s Beauty and the Beast has been signed a release date. Disney’s new live-action princess movie is intended to hit theaters March 17, 2017. The Hollywood Reporter stated:

On the heels of the big opening of Disney’s Cinderella this past weekend, Disney has dated its live-action fairy-tale retelling Beauty and the Beast for March 17, 2017.

Emma Watson is starring as Belle while Dan Stevens will play the Prince/Beast. Luke Evans will play the role of Gaston. Emma Thompson has joined the cast as Mrs. Potts and Kevin Kline as Belle’s father, Maurice. Production on the project, which will include some CG magic, will kick off in May at Shepperton Studios in London.

Bill Condon is directing from a script by Stephen Chbosky with an earlier version by Evan Spiliotopoulos. Mandeville Films’ David Hoberman and Todd Lieberman are producing. AlanMenken, who won two Academy Awards for the 1991 animated classic, will score the film, which will feature new recordings of the original songs in addition to several new songs written byMenken and Sir Tim Rice

The Hollywood Reporter also wrote that Josh Gad, the voice of Disney’s Olaf from Frozen, is to join the cast as Le Fou, Gaston’s buffoon-like, evil assistant.