Emma Watson Cast As Belle in Disney’s Live-Action ‘Beauty And The Beast’

It was announced a little over an hour ago that Emma Watson is to star in Disney’s live-action version of Beauty And The Beast as lead character Belle.

The film is set to begin production at some point this year, though there is no word on a release date yet, and will be directed by Bill Condon, director of The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1 and Part 2. According to The Warp, Stephen Chbosky, who Watson worked with for The Perks of Being a Wallflower, will be writing the script.

The Harry Potter star took to Facebook to share the exciting news with her fans:

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

This film is continuing what seems to be a new trend of Disney’s, creating live-action versions of their classic animated titles. There was Alice in Wonderland back in 2010, Cinderella is set to hit theaters March 13, and Jungle Book is currently in the works for April 2016.

I am sure I am not alone in thinking that Watson is more or less perfect for this role. So congratulations to her, I can’t wait to get more details as the production continues and of course see the final product. Here’s to hoping the remaining characters are cast just as well!