So far, the anticipation surrounding Disney’s upcoming live-action adaptation of Beauty and the Beast - the latest in a growing line of “reimaginings” from the studio - has been nothing short of palpable. Starring Emma Watson (Harry Potter) and Dan Stevens (Legion) in its two titular roles, and coming from Director Bill Condon (Mr. Holmes), not only will the film be a live-action interpretation of the beloved 1990s animated film, but it’ll also be the first live-action adaptation to come from Disney over the past few years, that is also a full-blown musical like the animated film that inspired it.

Already, after months of secrecy, the first clips of Watson singing as Belle have been released from the film, with the two teasers hinting at some of the film’s other major musical sequences, including “Be Our Guest” and “Beauty and the Beast”. Even so, the film’s marketing is keeping quite a few notable numbers away from the released footage - so far, anyway.

Disney has now released a brand new poster for the film that, similar to some of the previous one-sheets released, focuses heavily on the iconic pose of Belle and the Beast dancing together from the original animated Beauty and the Beast. That sequence looks to have been recreated beautifully in the live-action adaptation, as you can see by checking out the poster below:

It’s almost shocking how much attention the new film has been on the receiving end of; not only getting widespread critical and fan acclaim already for the footage shown in its teasers, but with both of the main trailers for the film going on to break viewership records, even beating out Star Wars films. Notably, the filmmakers here worked heavily with composer Alan Menken on the adaptation, thanks to the memorable and gorgeous music he created for the animated Beauty and the Beast with the late, great Howard Ashman; with Menken confirming that the live-action film will not only feature all of the iconic music of the original, but three new songs as well.

In addition to Watson and Stevens too, the film features one of the flat-out best casts assembled in recent memory, with A-list dramatic actors filling out the rest of the major roles in the film. The roster includes Ewan McGregor, Ian McKellen, Luke Evans, Josh Gad, Kevin Kline, Stanley Tucci, Emma Thompson, and more. There hasn’t been all that much of variation with the promotional imagery for the film either, but considering how beloved and iconic the ballroom dance from Beauty and the Beast is, it’s probably a safe bet on Disney’s part to focus heavily on this particular moment - especially as fans get closer and closer to the live-action movie’s theatrical release date.

Source: Disney

  • Beauty and the Beast Release Date: 2017-03-17