‘Beauty and the Beast’ Cast, Updates: First Leaked Photographs Reveal Emma Watson’s Belle, Dan Stevens’ Beast; Luke Evans Shares Enthusiasm for Role as Gaston

‘Beauty and the Beast’ lead actors Emma Watson and Dan Stevens were revealed in character on recently leaked photographs. Meanwhile, Luke Evans shared his enthusiasm for his role as the antagonistic Gaston.

According to the Daily Mail, the first photographs of Watson’s Belle and Stevens’ Beast have recently been leaked online. Since the live-action adaptation’s confirmation, only a teaser trailer has been released, with little to no glimpse of the film’s principal characters.

Two specific images of Watson were released last September 30, 2016. The first showed Watson in character as Belle, with the character’s blue and white peasant dress as she holds on to a ladder in what seems to be a book shop. The other photograph showed Watson in Belle’s iconic yellow ball gown dancing with Stevens’ massive Beast.

The authenticity of the new images is yet to be confirmed. The only official glimpse of Belle was in the teaser trailer when she reached for the enchanted rose. Watson and Stevens are joined in the cast by Ewan McGregor as Lumiere, Emma Thompson as Mrs. Potts, Ian McKellen as Cogsworth, Kevin Kline as Maurice, Josh Gad as LeFou, and Stanley Tucci as Cadenza.

Luke Evans is set to portray the live-action version of Gaston, the main antagonist of the original animated musical film by Disney. In the animated film, Gaston was portrayed as conceited, rude, and simple-minded but considered as a hero by the townsfolk.

According to Cinema Blend, Evans expressed his enthusiasm over his new role. He said, “There's definitely a theatricality that I can bring to this role that I don't usually get to do. There's a slight heightened reality to the film. It's Disney and we're re-creating a much loved Disney story. He's larger than life in every respect. No, it's definitely really fun to play, and I did get to do more theatricality.”

The 37-year old actor began his career on stage and performed in various London’s West End productions including ‘Piaf’, ‘Miss Saigon’, and ‘Rent’. He received his breakthrough Hollywood role in 2010’s ‘Clash of the Titans’ as Apollo and went on to star in several full-feature films including ‘The Three Musketeers’, ‘The Hobbit’, and ‘Dracula Untold’.

‘Beauty and the Beast’ is an upcoming live-action remake of the original fantasy musical film of the same name directed by Bill Condon and written for the big screen by Stephen Chbosky and Evan Spiliotopoulos. It is produced under Mandeville Films and Walt Disney Pictures.

The film scheduled for release on March 17, 2017 in the United States.