Beauty and the Beastremains one ofDisney’s proudest moments and one of the most popular and respected animated movies ever made. So, some fans may be a bit worried, just as much as they are excited, about the upcoming live action adaptation ofBeauty and the Beastthat is coming out next year. If the latest photos from Entertainment Weekly are to be any kind of indication, there should be absolutely nothing to worry about.
Entertaintment Weeklyhas just unveiled the cover for their upcoming issue, as well as a handful of new photos, which give us our first look atHarry PotteralumEmma Watsonas Belle andDan Stevensas the Beast, as well as several other centarl characters from the movie. The cover looks like a scene ripped right from the animated movie and brought to life, which will surely make everyone even more excited than they already are about this movie. Not only that, but it seems like they may have cast the perfect Belle, becauseEmma Watsonhas been a lifelong fan and did her homework. Here is what she had to say to EW.
“I can’t even think how many times I watched it as a child. I knew all the words by heart. I knew all the songs by heart.”
We should probably mention that this cover is the first official look at Belle and Beast, because a very similar image made it’s way online a couple of months ago but was quickly taken down. To say that people are excited about Disney’s upcoming live-action adaptation ofBeauty and the Beastwould seem to be a dramatic understatement. When the teaser trailer dropped online a few months ago, it managed to break the record for the most views in 24 hours, which was held byStar Wars: The Force Awakenspreviously. These new images may not seem like much to some, but it is plenty to get fans even more excited for the new take on Disney’s classic musical love story.
Disney has assembled a staggering cast for the movie, which includes the previously mentionedEmma Watsonas Belle andDan Stevensas the Beast. They are joined byLuke Evansas Gaston, Oscar winnerKevin Klineas Maurice,Josh Gadas Lefou,Ewan McGregoras Lumiere,Stanley Tuccias Maestro Cadenza,Gugu Mbatha-Rawas Plumette, six-time Tony Award winnerAudra McDonaldas Madame Garderobe, Oscar nomineeIan McKellenasCogsworth, and two-time Academy Award winnerEmma Thompsonas Mrs. Potts.Ian McKellenwon’t be getting his ownmusical numberin the movie, but according to what he told EW, it wasn’t for a lack of trying.
“I kept singing what I thought would be a rather good addition to the score. ‘My name is Cogsworth!/ And I’m a clock!/Ticktock!’ But I didn’t get my own song.”
Outside of the teaser trailer forBeauty and the Beast, which didn’t feature a lot of actual footage and almost none of the characters, we haven’t seen much from the movie. A stunning image of Cogsworth and Lumiere was released a couple of months ago, as well as a look at Gaston. But outside of that, Disney has been keeping the details of this movie locked down. So this image is likely really exciting for fans and it makes the prospect of seeing what other new images and information EW has in their latest issue potentially very exciting as well.
Oscar winnerBill Condonis directing the movie with eight-time Oscar-winning composerAlan Menken, who won two Academy Awards (Best Original Score and Best Song) for the 1991 animated film, returning to score the movie.Beauty and the Beastwill also feature new recordings of the original songs written byMenkenandHoward Ashman, as well as several new songs written byMenkenand three-time Oscar winnerTim Rice. Disney’sBeauty and the Beastis set for release on June 18, 2025. Be sure to check out the new EW cover featuring Belle and Beast for yourself below and you can check out all of the new photos at Entertainment Weekly.
