Emma Watson To Play Belle

The big Disney news today is that Emma Watson has just been cast as Belle in Disney's Live-Action Beauty and the Beast. (Live-action adaptations seem to be Disney's "thing" these days -- Maleficent performed much better than was expected and Cinderella looks like it might repeat that success. I'm optimistic at least. And then there's their version of The Jungle Book -- I haven't seen anything from that yet, but with the cast they managed to secure...)

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I'll be honest: I am SUPER excited about this casting choice. 

Back in September, Entertainment Weekly posted an article with the news that Stephen Chbosky (who wrote the novel and screenplay for Perks of Being A Wallflower) was going to write a new screenplay and that Bill Condon would be directing. 

The article also mentioned that Guillermo del Toro/Warner Brothers' Beauty had stalled--this was the version of "Beauty and the Beast" was the one which Emma Watson was attached to. I thought it was because she viewed Disney's version as too safe/tame, and Belle was too similar a character to Hermione (bookish, surprisingly strong, etc). Del Toro's version promised to be a little bit edgier, a little darker, a little less "Disney."

BUT. With the project stalled, and Chbosky writing a new script...well, Emma Watson has spoken glowingly of Chbosy and Wallflower and making that film. And I would imagine that Chbosky's script would be Disney...with an edge. 

It does seem like it's going to be a very similar movie -- and that it will be a musical:

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(Can Emma Waston sing? I'll admit: I haven't heard her sing, and this is the part I remain a little skeptical about. But she's Emma Watson, so she can probably sing like a boss.)

But while Kenneth Branagh is telling Disney's Cinderella, he's also updating it a little bit -- I hope Chbosky will do the same. Especially because as much as I loved Belle when I was younger (she was bookish! she read books!) I find the story increasingly problematic the more I watch it when I'm older. Namely--I hate that Belle has to change/tame the Beast the way she does. In the original story, the Beast, while hideous in appearance, is actually quite gentle in manner. There's no reason -- as there usually isn't in fairy tales -- for why the Beast is cursed--he just is. And Beauty is actually kind of a brat, and the short story is about her development and realization that appearances aren't all that they seem. So it would be nice if Chbosky tapped into that--just because Emma Watson is so empowering in real life and would never agree that it's okay for a girl to think she can change an (arguably) abusive guy through the power of love. 

Still. The Disney/Harry Potter fangirl in me is ridiculously excited about this.

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