Ewan McGregor is the latest to join what”s shaping up to be quite the lovely cast for Disney”s live-action “Beauty and the Beast.” The Scottish actor will play Lumiere, The Hollywood Reporter posted Tuesday.
The charming McGregor seems well-suited for the suave, free-spirited candelabra, and we bet he”ll have way too much fun working with Ian McKellen, who”s playing Lumiere”s buddy Cogsworth.
Now just imagine – the star of “Moulin Rouge!” belting out “Be Our Guest.”
We”ll give you a moment to dwell on that wonderful thought.
It”s not totally clear which songs will be in this film, but word is that it will feature a score by Alan Menken, who won two Oscars for Disney”s 1991 animated “Beauty and the Beast,” plus new recordings of the 1991 movie”s songs and new songs by Menken and Tim Rice.
Also announced today: Stanley Tucci will be in the film, playing a new character named Cadenza, a grand piano. Variety, which reported the news, describes the character as “a neurotic maestro.” Hmm. This is intriguing news for those of us who remember the 1997 direct-to-video “Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas.” Could Cadenza be inspired by that movie's villain, the pipe organ Maestro Forte? In that holiday-themed retelling of the tale, Forte tries to derail the Beast and Belle”s blossoming romance because he wants to prevent the spell from breaking so he can remain a pipe organ. Could be a juicy extra plot line for a live-action, expanded take on the story. (Fun fact: “forte” and “cadenza” are both Italian music terms, the former meaning “loud” and the latter indicating an ornamental passage.)
This live-action “Beauty and the Beast” will open in theaters on March 17, 2017.
Below, check out our gallery of photos of the “Beauty and the Beast” cast side-by-side with their animated counterparts.