Official "Beauty & the Beast" Film Adaptation Thread

[Dave19]

I love the idea of making a film out of this Disney classic, which is mature and gritty and includes the music of the film.

In the Cinderella remake (and Maleficent) I truly miss the glorious music. I've always wondered why they never did this before.
With that said, I hope they don't include much of the Broadway musical numbers (for example "If I can't love her", or "home"), which are numbers that don't add anything to the story. We know how he feels and we know that she is not home. Even in the stage show they feel unnecessary and just added to make it longer, just like the ridiculously long dance-break in be our guest etc.

Emma Watson said she will sing "Something there". Does that mean she will not sing for example "Belle"? If they go that route, they could also use the music as some kind of "voiceover", sung by a real singer. As if their thoughts are being sung.

As for the enchanted objects, I think CGI would be perfect, at least then we will have normal-size, realistic looking objects.

[Bilbo3]

"Though I understood her sentiment, she will never, ever have the name recognition of Brandi or the late Whitney Houston."

I don't think she was ever trying to?

[Mrtrobz]

It says in the press releases the film will use the 1991 musical numbers with new songs composed by Alan Menken, whilst this could refer to the Broadway soundtrack it could also mean the songs could be entirely new though it was stated at one point that they were going to try and use the majority of songs from the Broadway show.

I a my abit interned about how they will do the furniture in this, Lumiere, Mrs Potts and Cogsworth could be done pretty well, I imagine that Lumiere will be a brass statuette with a humanoid body and a face in the flames or candle, Adapting the wardrobe and Feather Duster could be hard to adapt so I can imagine them being dropped from the film version they aren't overly essential to the plot either.

[Dave19]

If that's true (doing all of the songs) then I ask myself when the h*ll they will start to realize that there are excellent actors out there who are also excellent singers? It only works if an artist knows how to tell a story by the placement of a certain note. Good singing is acting. Speak-singing, cry-singing or scream-singing is not the solution.

[jimmycurry01]

They will realize that when those excellent actors who are also excellent singers can make film audiences want to buy tickets. Film audiences don't want to see someone like Audra McDonald, they want to see the big popular star. Business first, art second. This isn't a new thing. This has been happening for decades. The difference is in the past the big stars were dubbed by the big singers. Audiences today don't want dubbed actors.

[Mrtrobz]

Emma was rumoured a long time for Cosette in Les Miserables perhaps she has some unheard singing talents. I really am rooting for her to pull an Emily Blunt and surprise us all.

[SomeOtherMe]

Maybe Nathan Lane as Cogsworth?

[E.Davis]

Gosh you people need to take a step back for a second. The only name that has been announced has been Emma Watson in the title role. We have no idea who else they are even considering and people are freaking out the fact that broadway people aren't being considered. This gets brought up every time a feature length adaptation happens and people still do not seem to understand, so let me spell it out. Movies do not get made, especially niche films (musical, fantasy) without big names attached to them. The property and prestige of the title can only do so much, they need the star power.

[Mrtrobz]

You hit the Nail on the head, Broadway stars won't pack in a wider crowd so we need actors who sing, film is a very different medium and not many stage actors can pull off a screen performance, case in point Lea Michele in Glee even in the shows tenderest moments she still acts for stage.

I do nit mind if there are Broadway stars considered and I would love to have seen Laura Osnes as Belle but I will give Emma a chance because she can look and act the part and she can really dance, Inhave no idea if she can sing the role but she will be training and they will have some sort of voice otherwise they wouldn't have accepted her for the role. Imagine we'd be left its that awful Kristen Stewart who has the gravitas of a shoe lace.

If I want one stage thespian it is Angela Lansbury but Tracy Ullman will also suffice. The possibilities for casting are good for this and they could put a mix of Broadway stars into the roles but in the movie industry alone there is a lot possibilities to chose from for the roles.

[Jeffrey Karasarides]

"Emma was rumoured a long time for Cosette in Les Miserables perhaps she has some unheard singing talents."

I think that was Eponine she was considered for.

[Mrtrobz]

Oh perhaps it was Eponine, I wish the best for Emma.


There Is a lot of fan casting routes for this, I would love Josh Gad for LeFou.

[BroadwayNYC2]

She was rumored for Cosette

[broadwayboy223]

I hope the use all the music from the Broadway show. I think the whole score completes the show. Maybe not No matter what. But please keep Home, A Change In me, and If I can't love her. Just a question wasn't Emma supposed to do Beauty and the beast with a different director and it was to be a non .musical film?

[broadwayboy223]

I hope the use all the music from the Broadway show. I think the whole score completes the show. Maybe not No matter what. But please keep Home, A Change In me, and If I can't love her. Just a question wasn't Emma supposed to do Beauty and the beast with a different director and it was to be a non .musical film?

[Mrtrobz]

Guillermo Del Toro was to direct Beauty and the Beast at Warner Bros. with Emma but he dropped out as director and stayed as producer but when Disney courted her he gave his blessing and let her out of her contract to do this one instead which she seems thrilled about and she said in the past she loved musical theatre, I hope they use the shows music too we do know they are using the 1991 music and per interviews Bill has said he will incorporate the score, aside from the music of the film I want A Change in me, Home (Could be her I dreamed a dream moment) and If I can't love her. I feel like the rest of the songs could be cut and have no affect on the film but the more the merrier. This one could be better paced than Into the Woods because the story is easier condensed.

[Dave19]

It's true that producers and directors nowadays don't care for quality anymore and do not even try to look for the best candidate for a role. Thank god it wasn't always like this, for example when Julie Andrews got the role of Mary Poppins. I know they also thought about some bigger name non-singers for the role back then, but thank god they knew a bit more about the art of acting through song on film than they do now.

If I was to interview the producers or director of this film I would have an interesting list of questions for them. For example; What was it in Emma's singing voice that made her stand out of the 400 other girls who auditioned? What songs did she sing and what notes were you particularly impressed with? Can you explain why mastering the craft of singing is so important for a leading lady in a musical film? Can you explain why certain notes and the way they are intonated are so important for the storytelling and acting? What was the first time you ever experienced the journey of being lifted by a singing performance on film due to the incredible craftmanship of the actress/singer's little details, placements and intonation of certain notes and the way certain notes begin, evolve and end? Can you please explain why acting through song needs so much craftmanship?

[JohnyBroadway]

Again we don't even know if 400 girls auditioned for the part. All of this is still a mystery on what the project will end up being.

[Bilbo3]

Agreed, Johnny. I would love to see a huge scale Broadway style film of this but something tells me that's not what we will be getting. Which is fine, as long as it's inspired and not just a replica of the cartoon.

[SomeOtherMe]

You're forgetting that when you're making a big budget film, that's not the most important thing. Sure, in a perfect world, we would always cast the person who could sing and act the role the best. But that's not how the film industry works. They need NAMES that are going to want to get butts in the seat. No one is going to care to see a film that stars a bunch of nobodies. That's just the way it works. You think the "Les Misérables" movie would have been such a financial success if it starred amazing singers that nobody knew of? Keep dreaming.

[Bilbo3]

I think in some cases that's true but there are exceptions. Beauty and the Beast is beloved all over the world, if you got a few no names in the cast and then surrounded them with a few celebrities, I doubt it would be financially damaging. The title sells itself. Look at the Cinderella film coming out. Lily James isn't really a household name or an A list celebrity.

[SomeOtherMe]

I agree with you, but that still kinda proves the point I'm trying to make. You can cast an unknown as the lead in a film (Like they did with Nikki Blonsky in "Hairspray"), but if you're expecting the film to be financially successful, then you'd surround that unkown with NAMES for at least a slight sense of security.

[Bilbo3]

True, SomeOtherMe. What was the last musical film that had all complete unknowns? I can't even think of one. Across the Universe, Maybe.

[SomeOtherMe]

Exactly.

[JulesReverie]

Fiddler on the Roof but that was 40years ago

[Starship]

I imagine the financial risk for Beauty and the Beast will be FAR greater than Cinderella, therefore reaffirming their need for A-list names that will encourage audiences to come past just the name itself.

[Jeffrey Karasarides]

Just because someone's famous, doesn't mean they wouldn't good creatively. And please keep in mind that not only does acting on screen require different skills, but also singing on screen because you're not putting on a show as you would do onstage.