Extra, Extra!: More News on Disney's Beauty and the Beast Remake

In which I report on the latest in entertainment news.

It seems like Disney's been monopolizing my attention lately.  Between their pending release of the unaltered, original Star Wars Trilogy on BluRay, the recently announced sequel to Frozen (plus last weekend's premiere of Frozen Fever), the upcoming first season of Daredevil and all of the new Age of Ultron / Spider-Man and Marvel Phase 3 news, there's hardly been a down moment for the corporate giant.  And now they've gone and released more information concerning their live action remake of Beauty and the Beast.

As you may recall, Disney has already settled on the film's principle cast.  Emma Watson (Harry Potter) is going to be playing Belle, Dan Stevens (The Guest) is going to be playing Beast and Luke Evans (Dracula Untold).  Joining them now are Emma Thompson and Kevin Kline.

Emma Thompson is a respected British character actress whose long career has showcased her in Shakespeare, period pieces and popular blockbusters.  This is, for instance, not the first time that she has worked with Emma Thompson, as she played the role of Professor Sybil Trelawney in the three Harry Potter films in which the character appeared.  In Beauty and the Beast, she will be taking on the role of Mrs. Potts, a role previously played by Angela Lansbury in the 1991 film.

Kevin Kline is the sometimes-leading man's storied career has placed him varyingly in dramas (The Emperor's Club), comedies (In and Out), leading roles (Life as a House) and supporting ones (The Conspirator).  He will be the film's Maurice: Belle's father and half-crazed inventor who is mocked by the entire town as a deranged crackpot.  I have no doubt that Kline is the perfect man for the role, capable of finding the emotional core of a character that could much more easily just be played off for laughs.

The film also has a release date now: March 17, 2017.  That's right, rather than the 2016 release that everybody was predicting, we have to wait a full two years before it arrives in theaters.  On the one hand, I'm happy that Disney seems to be taking their time with their next gen fairy tales.  I'd rather see something done well than quickly, and it's a coin toss between either this or The Lion King for the company's most beloved film.  On the other hand, however, I'm just as anxious as everybody else to see a live action Beauty and the Beast, and now I know that it won't be arriving anytime soon.

So what are your thoughts on the casting of Beauty and the Beast so far?

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