Emma Watson, better known to Harry Potter fans as Hermione Granger, is in final talks to star in a new film adaptation of Beauty and the Beast from director Guillermo Del Toro. This is the latest in a series of high profile projects Watson has been involved with since the wrap of the Harry Potter series. She took a small role in My Week with Marilyn, stars in the film adaptation of popular young adult novel The Perks of Being a Wallflower, and will reunite with Potter director David Yates for the intense personal drama Your Voice in My Head. While Watson is certainly keeping herself busy, she is also choosing quality projects with top filmmakers, pushing herself into a variety of genres. In this year alone, she will appear in a comedy, a young adult romance, an adult drama, and a horror/fantasy film. It’s safe to say that Emma Watson is winning the war against type casting.
For Beauty and the Beast, Watson finds herself paired with an equally prolific director. Guillermo Del Toro is currently shooting his big budget robots vs. monsters epic Pacific Rim. He also has, in various stages of production, adaptations of Frankenstein and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, a re-make of Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse-Five, and an adaptation of the Dan Simmons novel Drood on his plate. Add to that a 3D remake of Disney’s The Haunted Mansion and a long-gestating and apparently stalled adaptation of Lovecraft’s At the Mountains of Madness and you have one very busy filmmaker.
Not much is known about the film at this point. Originally based on Robin McKinley’s Beauty: A Retelling of the Story of Beauty and the Beast, the screenplay is rumored to be going in a new direction under the hand of Bridget Jones’s Diary scribe Andrew Davies. Del Toro’s project represents just one of several “Beauty and the Beast” themed works in development, which include a rival film production from French director Christophe Gans and two competing television pilots from ABC and the CW. Given Del Toro’s penchant for stunning visuals and imaginative creatures and his currently red hot leading lady, and this film may be the one to beat.
Let’s discuss: Is this too much Beauty and the Beast? Does Del Toro’s involvement pique your interest in this project? Will Emma Watson shine as the Beauty?
Tags: Beauty and Beast, Emma Watson, Guillermo del Toro, Harry Potter, Pacific Rim
About the Author
Written by Brien Gorham
Once of New Jersey, now of Seattle, Brien Gorham writes and talks about culture... a lot. When not writing about television and movies for Comic Booked, he hosts the weekly media and culture podcast C.O.T.U.S Radio and runs his own culture blog at virgilsdiner.com. He firmly believes that Shakespeare wrote his own plays and that Han did indeed shoot first.
I’m in. I love Del Toro’s films.
Am I stupid, or did he do Pan’s Labyrinth too?
He did indeed do Pan’s Labyrinth!
Then he is the best person ever and this is going to be awesome.
I’m excited by anything Del Toro does. As much as I’m looking forward to this, I would really like to see his takes on Frankenstein and Dr. Jekyll. And for the love of Cthulhu, will someone please greenlight At the Mountains of Madness!
Emma Watson is a fantastic actress and we’re all familiar with del Toro’s genius. “Beauty and the Beast” has always been my favorite fairytale and all time favorite Disney classic. My favorite adaptation is the 1946 black and white French flick, “La belle et la bête.”
I think it’s a safe bet that Del Toro’s version will have more in common with that French film that it will with Disney’s version.
Hahaha Of course. The French film was wonderful and very true to the Grimm brothers’ telling of the fairytale. Let’s see how well the writer’s will adapt the story for this film. I’m optimistic.