Emma Watson is going to have a pair of handsome gents pursuing her in Disney's live-action Beauty and the Beast. She's obviously in the role of Belle, and now we know Dan Stevens (Downton Abbey) will be her Beast, while Luke Evans (Dracula Untold) will play the villain, Gaston.
Beauty and the Beast will be directed by Bill Condon (The Fifth Estate), and will be added to the list of Disney's live-action adaptations of their classic animated fairy tales. This is a big role for Stevens, who has really taken off since departing Downton Abbey. He turned a lot of heads in The Guest and was recently seen in Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb. Chances are Disney isn't going to want to hide his face beneath a ton of make-up and CGI, so it will be interesting to see what route they take.
As for Evans, this is just the latest high profile project for him. He went the franchise route last year with Dracula Untold and The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies, which followed his role in Fast & Furious 6. Next up for him is a role in Ben Wheatley's High-Rise, the J.G. Ballard adaptation that also stars Tom Hiddleston, Jeremy Irons, Stacy Martin, Sienna Miller, and Elisabeth Moss. The first image from the film has dropped and it features Evans in a pool looking rather dangerous. The film takes place in 1975 and follows the denizens of a swanky luxury high-rise apartment cut off from the rest of society.
No release dates yet for either Beauty and the Beast or High-Rise, but expect news on both soon.
