Audra McDonald Joining Disney's Live-Action 'Beauty and the Beast' (Exclusive)
9:34 AM PDT 3/27/2015 by Borys Kit

Tony Award-winning actress Audra McDonald, who also starred in television’s Private Practice, is in final negotiations to join the cast of Disney’s live action version of Beauty and the Beast.

McDonald will join a roll call that includes Emma Watson as Belle, Dan Stevens as the Beast/Prince, Luke Evans as the vain villain Gaston, and Josh Gad as Le Fou, Gaston’s buffoonish and loyal sidekick. The live action movie, directed by Bill Condon, is aligning itself closely with the 1991 animated classic.

McDonald is a stage star that has won acclaim for her voice chops and dramatic chops, reflected in her recent Tony wins: best performance by an actress in a musical for Porgy and Bess in 2012 and best performance by an actress in a play for Lady Day in Emerson’s Bar and Grill in 2014. She also has Tonys for her work in Raisin in the Sun, Ragtime, Carousel and others. (She has six, winning three of them by the age of 28.)

In Beauty, McDonald will be playing Garderobe, the French word for wardrobe.

In Disney’s fairy tale, the Prince is placed under a curse which sees his servants turned into various objects in the castle. The lady-in-waiting turned into Garderobe. She, along with Mrs Potts, a kettle, assist Belle in her initial loneliness and is part of the "Be Our Guest" showstopper.

The character also sings a solo as part of Human Again, a song which was deleted from the 1991 movie but later added to the 2002 special edition DVD.

Production begins in May at Shepperton Studios in London.

McDonald, repped by WME, will be seen in HBO's adaptation of Lady Day and returns to Broadway with Shuffle Along, or, The Making of the Musical Sensation of 1921 and All That Followed.

Ian McKellen to Play Cogsworth in Disney’s ‘Beauty and the Beast’ (EXCLUSIVE)
April 10, 2015 | 04:52PM PT Justin Kroll
Film Reporter @krolljvar

After portraying a wizard and a mutant in two lucrative franchises, Ian McKellen’s next role will be a piece of furniture. The British thesp is set to play Cogsworth in Disney’s live-action retelling of “Beauty and the Beast,” starring Emma Watson, Variety can exclusively reveal.

Dan Stevens, Luke Evans, Josh Gad and Emma Thompson also star. Bill Condon is directing from a script written by Evan Spiliotopoulos and rewritten by Stephen Chbosky. David Hoberman and Todd Lieberman of Mandeville Films are producing.

Production will begin later this year for a Mar. 17, 2017 release.

In the original Disney movie, Cogsworth was the Beast’s loyal butler, who was transformed into a clock by a curse that overtook the castle.

The studio’s 1991 animated feature version of “Beauty and the Beast” grossed more than $375 million worldwide, spawned a Broadway play and became one of the few animated films to receive a best picture Oscar nomination.

Disney has several live-action reboots of classic tales on the horizon, including “Mulan,” “Winnie the Pooh,” “Dumbo,” “Pinocchio,” “The Jungle Book” and “Pete’s Dragon.”

McKellen recently reprised his role of Gandalf in “The Hobbit: the Battle of the Five Armies” and can be seen next in Condon’s “Mr. Holmes,” hitting theaters on July 17. He is repped by CAA and Independent Talent Group.

‘Beyond the Lights’ Star Gugu Mbatha-Raw Joins ‘Beauty and the Beast’ (EXCLUSIVE)
April 13, 2015 | 10:00AM PT
Justin Kroll
Film Reporter @krolljvar

“Beyond the Lights” star Gugu Mbatha-Raw has been tapped to play the feather duster Plumette in Disney’s live-action adaptation of “Beauty and the Beast” starring Emma Watson and Dan Stevens.

Luke Evans (Gaston), Josh Gadd (LeFou), Ian McKellen (Cogsworth), and Emma Thompson (Mrs. Potts) also star. Bill Condon is directing from a script written by Evan Spiliotopoulos and rewritten by Stephen Chbosky. David Hoberman and Todd Lieberman of Mandeville Films are producing. Mbatha-Raw’s character has gone through several iterations in the Disney canon, with the flirty feather duster previously called both Babette and Fifi in other versions of the story.

Production will begin this year for a March 17, 2017, release.

The studio’s 1991 animated feature “Beauty and the Beast” grossed more than $375 million worldwide, spawning a Broadway play and becoming the first animated film to score an Oscar nomination for best picture.

Disney has several live-action reboots of classic tales on the horizon, including “Mulan,” “Winnie the Pooh,” “Dumbo,” “Pinocchio” and “The Jungle Book.”

Mbatha-Raw was most recently seen in “Jupiter Ascending” and is currently filming “Free State of Jones” opposite Matthew McConaughey. She is repped by CAA, Curtis Brown Group and Authentic.

Ewan McGregor is in negotiations to play Lumiere in Disney’s live-action retelling of “Beauty and the Beast” that stars Emma Watson and Dan Stevens.

Luke Evans is also on board and will play Gaston. Ian McKellen will play Cogsworth.

Bill Condon is directing, with David Hoberman and Todd Lieberman of Mandeville Films producing. The script was written by Evan Spiliotopoulos and rewritten by Steve Chbosky.

Production will begin later this year. The studio has set a March 17, 2017 release for the pic.

The studio’s 1991 animated feature version of “Beauty and the Beast” grossed more than $375 million worldwide, spawned a Broadway play and became one of the few animated pics to receive a best picture Oscar nomination. In that version, Lumiere was the charming and energetic butler/candlestick who is most famous for singing the tune “Be Our Guest.”

Disney has several reboots of classic tales on the horizon, including retellings of “The Jungle Book” “Mulan” and “Winnie the Pooh.”

McGregor is repped by UTA and can be seen next in “Jane Got a Gun” opposite Natalie Portman.

Stanley Tucci Rounds Out Cast of ‘Beauty and the Beast’ (EXCLUSIVE)
April 21, 2015 | 03:31PM PT
Justin Kroll
Film Reporter @krolljvar

Stanley Tucci has closed a deal to join the cast of Disney’s live-action retelling of “Beauty and the Beast” starring Emma Watson and Dan Stevens.

Tucci will be playing Cadenza the grand piano, a new character to the realm who is described as a neurotic maestro.

Luke Evans, Ian McKellen, Emma Thompson and Ewan McGregor also star.

Bill Condon is directing, with David Hoberman and Todd Lieberman of Mandeville Films producing. The script was written by Evan Spiliotopoulos and rewritten by Steve Chbosky.

Production will begin later this year. The studio has set a March 17, 2017, release for the pic.

The studio’s 1991 animated feature version of “Beauty and the Beast” grossed more than $375 million worldwide, spawned a Broadway play and became one of the few animated pics to receive a best picture Oscar nomination.

Disney has several reboots of classic tales on the horizon, including retellings of “The Jungle Book” “Mulan” and “Winnie the Pooh.”

Tucci has recently been seen on the Pivot drama “Fortitude,” which was just renewed for a second season. He has a handful of films set to bow this year, including the drama “Spotlight” and “The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2.”

He is repped by CAA and the Curtis Brown Group.