Dan Stevens cast as the Beast in new ‘Beauty & the Beast’: good or bad call?

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What the hell, man? Disney’s live-action version of Beauty & the Beast is coming together, casting-wise, only the choices are… not what I would have expected. A few months ago, Emma Watson was announced as the new Belle, which is an okay choice. We were hoping for really strong casting in other places. And yes, it was probably too much to hope for Jason Momoa as the Beast. But this?!

Belle has found her Beast! Disney’s upcoming live-action Beauty and the Beast has cast the man who will play the furry prince. Downton Abbey star Dan Stevens scored the part of the Beast, The Hollywood Reporter announced on Wednesday, March 4.

Stevens seemingly confirmed the casting news on Twitter shortly after, posting a giant meme that read “Beast Mode.” The 32-year-old will join Harry Potter star Emma Watson, who signed on to play the Disney princess back in January.

Dracula Untold actor Luke Evans is in talks to play the egotistical villain Gaston.

[From Us Weekly]

DAN STEVENS?! Cousin Matthew from Downton Abbey?! BEAST MODE?! Don’t get me wrong, I actually like Dan Stevens. I had great affection for Cousin Matthew and his “tingles” down below. When he started losing all the weight and living in America, I was sort of okay with it. And while this might be a coup for his career, I still think this is a bad casting choice. As for Luke Evans as Gaston… sure. I can sort of see that. My impression of Luke is that he’s sort of wiry and smaller than we think, but maybe I’m wrong. Emma is so small, maybe they think they can put smaller guys beside her and they’ll look bigger.

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Photos courtesy of WENN.

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146 Responses to “Dan Stevens cast as the Beast in new ‘Beauty & the Beast’: good or bad call?”

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  1. jinni says:

    All the casting choices are horrible and Jason would have been bad too. Why are the guys so much older than Emma? Dan look a little bit younger (he still looks to old for Emma) than he is, but Evans looks way older than 35 and next to tiny, very young looking Emma that will look creepy. Maybe that’s the point, but either way this movie looks like it will blow which sucks because Beauty and The Beast was my favorite Disney princess movie.

    • Jessica says:

      Re Evans looking way older than Emma and that being creepy… having an older man hit on a young Emma actually works for the dynamic between Gaston and Belle.

      • Josefa says:

        Yeah, Gaston was supposed to be creepy anyway. And really now – Dan is just 7 years older than Emma and looks like he just got out of High School. Ya’ll are so fixated on ages. It’s crazy.

    • oneshot says:

      Emma’s 25 or almost there, he’s 32. It’s not that big of an age gap.

      • jinni says:

        I guess it’s more the fact that she looks 15 to me that makes it weird.

      • delorb says:

        @Jinni,

        I feel the same. She doesn’t look her age and Dan looks way older than her. While he’s dressed as the beast it won’t matter. But the minute he transforms, it’ll look like he’s perving on a child.

    • Kahlia says:

      I totally agree. I can tolerate Emma Watson, I guess, but the rest? I don’t find Dan Stevens attractive in the slightest. He reminds me of this guy I went to college with – all eyes and hair, no chin. Luke Evans is great in action films, but I can’t picture him being a musclebound cheeseball that all the non-Belle ladies lust for.

      I’m watching Blue Mountain State with my boyfriend and I’m convinced Alan Ritchson would be a perfect Gaston if you threw a wig on him. He plays an over-the-top muscle bro to perfection.

    • kiara says:

      Or we could just get rid of Emma and pick someone that could actually act rather than wriggle her eyebrows? You know, just a thought…

      • Frodo Lives says:

        LOL! She needs to go back to school for acting or take some lessons on the side.

  2. Senaber says:

    They should switch roles, because Dan Stevens gives off a strong vibe of entitled dirtbag as opposed to totured sexy.

  3. MIMI says:

    Awful cast except Luke Evans!! Emma can’t act and when you see the French version of the beauty and the beast with vincent cassel you see the true adaption 🙂 Sorry I will not see it

    • Dońt kill me i'm french says:

      The real French version is with with Jean Marais.A movie in black and white filmée by Cocteau

  4. paola says:

    He looks like a purry kitten more than a hairy beast.
    I could really see Hugh Jackman as Gaston, but i guess he’s too old for the role.

  5. Altariel says:

    Disney’s Beauty and the Beast is my favorite movie of all time.

    When the Beast turns back into his human form, he is hunky and gorgeous. Dan is just not the Beast. He is cute, but not have the overall look I would have been looking for in casting. Can’t imagine him with long flowy hair. I don’t know about Emma…don’t know if she can bring Belle’s sweetness, sincerity and humor. Yay for Luke Evans …any chance to see him 🙂

  6. savu says:

    Beauty and the Beast is my absolute favorite. When I was a kid, I saw Belle as the smart bookworm whom everyone thinks is weird. I TOTALLY identified with that. And honestly, she’s one of the better ones to use as a role model for young girls. I remember seeing an interview with the woman who voiced her where she said she felt like not a lot of people talk about how brave it was for Belle to go in her father’s place, and how big of a sacrifice that was. I just think that’s cool.

    As for casting… I’ve never heard of Luke but looking at him, he hits the nail on the head in terms of looking what I think Gaston should look like. I know nothing about Dan so this will be interesting. I have all my faith in Emma though!

    • Altariel says:

      Belle is an excellent role model! She honored and adored her father and put him before herself. And then she sped off to protect the Beast from the angry mob. She was indeed incredibly brave. But those parts do get swept away in favor of the romance of the movie. And it is very romantic 🙂

    • Malificent says:

      I’m currently at Disney World (yay!), and I picked Belle as my Disney avatar cuz she’s the Nerd Princess! I can’t imagine a better gift from a prince than a library!! (Pardon my excessive use of exclamation marks — Disney World is getting the best of me….)

  7. GiGi says:

    SO MANY WHITE PEOPLE! WT actual F? I get that they’re “recreating” the cartoon versions to some extent, but, wow.

    • Catelina says:

      If they’re trying to recreate the cartoons, they aren’t doing a very good job. These guys don’t have the right look at all, to me. But maybe they’re super talented and it won’t matter

    • Marty says:

      @Gigi- Right?!

  8. OSTONE says:

    No Kellan Lutz for Gaston? 🙁 KELLAN LUTZ lol

  9. Kate says:

    Mehhhhhh.
    I really wanted Hiddleston for Beast. But he’s probably too old. Luke Evans kinda works but LOL at the Kellan Lutz for Gaston. Can totally see that. “How can you READ these? There’s no PICTURES!”

  10. vauvert says:

    I first fell for Dan in Leap Year with Amy Adams, which I don’t think was a BO hit but I loved! So I actually think he can totally act and do justice to his part, for the Beast part the will be a huge costume anyway, you don’t need to be the Hulk to act it. And yes, as Matthew he was awesome:-) sounds like he is making good career moves, wish him luck. And I am not sure why people think Emma can’t be Belle? An independent, bookish, strong spirited girl? Hmmmmm. She can play that:-)

  11. OhDear says:

    I’m sure they can play around with camera angles and other tricks of the trade to make people seem taller/larger than they actually are.

    As for Dan Stevens, my guess is that he was lower on the list of people Disney wanted to cast and those who were higher on the list turned the role down (for various reasons). It’ll be a good role for him to break out and get more exposure, though.

    • Mia4S says:

      You are spot on about “lower on the list”. Apparently Eddie Redmayne passed on Gaston. They aimed high and ended up with the B list, it happens. (Yes I know Hermionie but outside of Potter she hasn’t exactly set the film world on fire.)

      • jinni says:

        Ha at the idea of frail Eddie as Gaston. With his looks he’d be better off waiting to play the Frog Prince since he resembles said amphibian.

      • **sighs** says:

        Wow. Redmayne as Gaston is the worst casting imaginable. Who would even consider that?

      • Mia4S says:

        Not saying Redmayne was good casting, but it is Oscar winner casting. If that’s what they were trying for Evans and Stevens were not top choices…at all.

      • oneshot says:

        I thought Redmayne was offered the role of the Beast, NOT Gaston! i.e. the one Cousin Matthew has now.

      • jinni says:

        @oneshot: Redmanye as Beast? Isn’t he suppose to get cute after the curse is lifted off of him? Because…

        I’m sure he would have acted his butt off in this role but is it so hard to find a good looking and talented actor to play the role.

      • Valois says:

        Who else was on the list, any rumors?

  12. Loopy says:

    I think the casting is terrible, Belle needs to be innocent with a touch of sultry which Emma just does not posses. Jason would have been HAWT as the beast.

  13. GoodNamesAllTaken says:

    I can’t care about this. I wish him the best and all, but I’m not sure this is what he had in mind when he quit DA.

    • Esmom says:

      My thoughts exactly.

    • InvaderTak says:

      Agreed again, GoodNames. That was the worst decision he’s ever made for his career. Bad timing, bad exit.

    • jammypants says:

      I must be the only person who saw he did nothing wrong. I thought his choices post-DA have been rather decent, including this.

      • Granger says:

        I agree, jammypants. Downton Abbey has turned into a really bad soap opera — all because Julian Fellowes won’t share the writing with anyone. He just keeps regurgitating the same story lines with *slightly* different spins, and every character he writes is a total cliché now. Dan was smart to get out when he did. He is unbelievable in The Guest, and he was the only good actor in A Walk Among the Tombstones. (Now… Liam Neeson… THAT’s someone who’s career we should all be questioning.)

      • GoodNamesAllTaken says:

        Oh, I don’t think he did anything wrong, either. If he was unhappy or felt he needed to move on, that’s completely his decision. I wish him well. I just don’t get that excited about cartoons, or movies like this. There’s nothing wrong with liking them, they just don’t appeal to me, so I guess I’m surprised they appeal to him. But I didn’t mean my comment as a criticism.

      • jammypants says:

        @Granger, yea I worry about Neeson’s career too. He is a great actor. His talent is wasted playing all these tough guy roles of late.

        @GoodNamesAllTaken, for some reason I’m the opposite. His attachment to the project made more actually care about it :p Before then, I was pretty apathetic.

  14. bette says:

    I think Dan Stevens will do fine. He was in an A and E version of Sense and Sensibility years ago, has way more acting credits than Downton Abbey.

    The Beast doesn’t stay The Beast people! She needs to fall in love with him and Dan Stevens can do comedy and drama

    • Josefa says:

      IKR? Did we all watch the same Disney movie growing up? I clearly remember Beast being quite a pretty, slightly feminine looking dude in his human form.

      If they want someone who really looks the part of Beast they should be holding castings at the zoo instead of Hollywood.

  15. Talie says:

    Liam Hemsworth would’ve been better, no?

  16. insomniac says:

    I don’t know much about Dan (all I’ve seen him in is “Night at the Museum 3”), but my mother has never, ever forgiven him for leaving Downton Abbey. It was like he dumped her personally or something. That makes me chuckle every time I see his name come up.

    • Esmom says:

      Now that I’ve just finished watching the latest season, I’d say he was smart to leave. Same old stuff gets repeated, would have probably driven him over the edge if he was looking for substance.

      • GoodNamesAllTaken says:

        Could you believe they dredged up the Bates in prison scenario. Ugh. I still watched it, though. *slinks away*

      • Algernon says:

        He clearly saw the writing on the wall and left the show at its peak. Besides, once Cousin Matthew and Mary got together and produced an heir, what was left for his character? What little interesting stuff still happens on DA has to do with Mary and Edith becoming modern, but if Mary was still married, she wouldn’t be having sexcapades all over Britain.

      • nic919 says:

        He was also given that temporarily paralyzed and impotent storyline which was pretty ridiculous too. I can see why he wanted to get out of there. DA has gotten even worse since he left. It was a fun show at the beginning, but it is now firmly in soap opera territory and there is very little that Maggie Smith can do to make it better.

      • Esmom says:

        Agree with everyone and lol at Mary “having sexcapades all over Britain.” To be clear, I still watch and will to the end, I’m sure. As bad as it gets I am such a sucker for the costumes and the setting, so far removed from anything resembling my life!

      • Granger says:

        Oops, I should have saved my comments from the previous thread for this one. Downton is a joke now! Dan was so smart to get out when he did…

  17. Tig says:

    Pls someone find a link somewhere to Hugh Jackman being Gaston! That is perfect!

    Re the movie- not that familiar with Luke Evans, but I can see him as Gaston. Dan will be fine- and those eyes! Been many years since I watched the movie, but when he transforms, thought that’s how she knows that’s her “beast”- his eyes. Perfect!
    I had no idea he was in Leap Year- no chance you are confusing him with Matthew Goode?

  18. INeedANap says:

    Who could have been cast otherwise though? Momoa is sex on a stick, but Watson would have completely disappeared sharing a screen with him. The crop of young male actors lacks serious strength and sex appeal.

    • GoodNamesAllTaken says:

      Let’s talk about Momoa being sex on a stick some more. Isn’t he unbelievably hot? I’m making a fool of myself over him. It’s embarrassing, but if you want to discuss it more, I’ll be in and out of here all day. Lol

    • Valois says:

      Momoa would have ruined it for me, really. And I loooove Disney movies. That guy… I think he’s sooo unattractive (or creepy? Don’t know), like I cannot even watch his GOT scenes because he makes me feel so uncomfortable. He’d do the beast, but not the prince.

      To each their own I think : ) GoodNames, he’s yours!

  19. Hazel says:

    The Britification of Disney continues. First, Cinderella and now Beauty and the Beast. Not that I mind, I’m British myself. Or maybe someone at Disney just likes Downton Abbey.

    ETA: I’m surprised no one has mentioned casting Bendybus Cabbagepatch as The Beast.

  20. Amy says:

    …it works? I don’t know, I have no enthusiasm for the crop of live action Disney films that started with Maleficent and since that one they seem to be in a slow decline imo.

    I feel nothing looking at Cinderella, while her dress is pretty it’s not earth shattering. Now while Emma is wonderful I don’t get a Belle vibe at all and this just seems to be a good collection of whoever’s available rather than searching hard for someone new who just brings that character’s image to life.

    I do think it’s weird her leading an is quite older but I think for her face Dan Steven’s works. Jason would just look ridiculous next to tiny her.

    • **sighs** says:

      I don’t get it either. I look at Cinderlla trailers and go, meh, they did this already. It was called Ever After. And that was way better than this looks.

      • oneshot says:

        Ever After was great! You really can’t top Leonardo da Vinci for a fairy godmother, and this new movie probably won’t even come close.

      • Amy says:

        God Ever After was amazing, so well done. It’s one of the few ‘princessy’ movies that has stuck with me after all these years.

      • InvaderTak says:

        Ever After is still awesome. And do Vinci as your fairy godmother is too good, Angelica Huston as the evil step mother was brilliant. They did it with Ella Enchanted (which I hated; they changed it so much from the book it was just awful) and Enchanted. I fail to see what there is to add here.

      • Maria A. says:

        You’re right. Ever After was excellent. I’ve recommended it to people in the past.

  21. Alessio says:

    Yeah, I was expecting someone… bigger. i even wonder what they’ll do to make believable a live adaptation of a girl falling in love with an actual beast, or if they’re just gonna ruin his face with scars and stuff like that? ive only watched the disney version so my knowledge is very limited on this one. i was expecting someone more muscular tho. dan stevens is obviously hot and i know that he was transformed into a beast not because of his aspect but personality, but still when he gets back to human form he looks bigger and muscolar than the typical disney prince. he wouldve been a better fit for the classic good-hearted prince. also im totally excited for the cinderella movie coming out next week! it looks so beautiful and i only know cate and helena, i dont watch both DA and GOT but they seem much better choices if only because kenneth branagh takes huge risks in the casting process, emma watson is so…obvious? maybe i wouldnt be so hard on dan stevens if they didnt hire someone who is as famous as her, lily and richard by comparison are better fit because they’re both not well known and people dont have expectations on them, with emma is a different story, but that’s just my personal opinion on the actors. regardless, i’ll be very excited to see how it comes out!
    also, i wonder what the hell happened with the little mermaid adaptation? did universal just halt the project? i swear to god, i have this fear the studio is trying to get sofia coppola to direct the next 50 shades!

    • Josefa says:

      I think they’ll make Beast look like the Beast from X-Men (except not blue). Nicholas and Dan even look alike a little if you think about it. So I guess it’s gonna be a lot of makeup, a furry suit and some CGI touches here and there.

      • Alessio says:

        oh, yeah! that makeup in xmen wasn’t so bad and worked. obviously it’s a different kind of movie, but we’ll see! i agree nicholas and dan have the same physicality too!

  22. Josefa says:

    I think he’s perfect? Remember what the target audience for this movie will be. Not us, but little girls. They need a cute, slightly feminine looking guy with lovely big eyes to play the prince. Someone big and macho won’t do it for them. If it were up to me I’d have Robb Stark do all those prince charming roles.

    • GoodNamesAllTaken says:

      Good point. My first on screen “love” was Ralph, the bicycle messenger boy from Sound of Music. He was very “pretty.” I love remembering what it feels like to be a little girl. Thanks for that.

      • **sighs** says:

        Mine were Magnum PI and Remington Steele. I don’t like pretty, feminine guys.

      • GoodNamesAllTaken says:

        I don’t now that I’m an adult, but I did when I was a child.

      • Josefa says:

        And I didn’t get over my crush on Nick Carter until I was 13. Big, shiny blue eyes bring all little girls to their knees. Someone like Jason Momoa would probably scare them.

  23. PrincessMe says:

    Maybe he’ll be a beast like Moo Shoo was a dragon.

    OK, on a serious note, when I look at him, I don’t see “beast” but maybe he’ll bulk up. You never know,

  24. jinni says:

    They should have gotten Gaspard Ulliel to play Beast. Also, when I first heard they were doing this I kind of hoped Emmy Rossum would have been given the part of Belle.

    • Josefa says:

      Gaspard and Emmy would’ve been absolutely perfect! Though I don’t think the cast is going so bad considering who the target audience are. Emma might not be the Meryl Streep of our gen, but I think we can all agree she’s a great role model, and I’d love to have my little cousins look up to someone like her. And it’s not like 7 year olds can tell good acting from bad.

    • Saks says:

      I don’t want this movie to get made but now that you point it I do see Emmy Rossum as Belle, I like her a lot and she is very talented. Also I think Nicholas Hoult would look better on screen with Emma, Dan does nothing for me

  25. Murphy says:

    This man is DEAD TO ME.
    I will never see one of his films or plays.

    DEAD.TO.ME.

  26. oneshot says:

    considering the audience for this is little girls and tweens, casting a slightly less macho-looking guy as the Beast/Prince sounds right. I mean, can you imagine the reactions in the theatre if those kids saw Jason Momoa as the hero, it’d be a theatre full of scared wailing kids haha.

    not a big fan of his but I get that he fits the aesthetic (I even think they should have cast a little younger, too, if they want a match for Emma. Though she’s 25 so a 7 year age gap isn’t a bad thing)

    • Amy says:

      Seriously though. I think many of the men mentioned are all handsome in their own right but the idea of them playing opposite Emma skeeves me out. This is for kids.

    • Mia4S says:

      You know who might have worked? Chris Pine. He’s a tall guy and can certainly bulk up see Into Darkness), he’s got a non-threatening look for the little girls, he’s reasonably age appropriate for Emma, and he can sing. I’m actually curious if he was persued for this and couldn’t because of Star Trek 3 filming.

      • oneshot says:

        Pine is even older than Cousin Matthew though, I mean if we’re going to talk about age-appropriateness he’s a full 10 years older than Emma….

        RPattz circa Cedric Diggory era would have been a beautiful choice but not as he currently is. I got no other ideas.

      • Maria A. says:

        That would be funny considering the role he just played in Into the Woods. Continuing his excursion in fairy tales themes would have been interesting.
        (It struck me as really funny that they showed a trailer for the new Cinderella right before the showing of Into the Woods that my Mom and I attended!)

  27. Gabby says:

    I’m sorry, but NO!!!!!!! This was my favorite Disney movie growing up. Belle wanted to live adventures and was smart and wasnt falling for the hottest yet obnoxious guy in town. She sacrificed herself for her father and she cared about what people were on the inside.

    I adore Emma, but Ithink they could have gone with someone like Mandy Moore, Or maybe someone younger like Demi Lovato. Say what you will but both were really good in Greys Anatomy doing dramatic roles and they both can sing their asses off. Or maybe someone unknown from Broadway. Emma just isnt right for it.

    And the guys, sorry, but they need to be BIG and BUILD, with bodies like Jason Momoa and Chris Hemsworth.

    I really wish they didnt make this movie at all, or did something completely new like Maleficent.

  28. L says:

    Meh, the Beast is and always will be Ronald Perlman. Seconded by Robert Carlyle on Once Upon a time (and I like the spin of that-how the beast is a beast because of his personality not just his looks)

    • Indira says:

      I LOVE Bobby Carlyle as the beast. To be fair, they could cast him as anything (and they do) and he could pull it off (and he does). Also I adore Emilie as Belle, too. So happy with the second half of season 4 and Cruella and all the good old Storybrookers having their lives front and centre again. Big OUAT fangirl.

  29. Bea says:

    Luke Evans has that greasy look of Gaston, I think it’s perfect casting especially if he gains a bit weight. On the other hand, NO to Emma Watson’s eyebrow acting. Enough is enough.

  30. Kate says:

    Honestly…..Henry Cavill should have been Gaston. And it would have gone a long way for him to show that he can laugh at himself.

    Cavill is either Prince Eric or he’s Gaston. And Gaston would be more hilarious bc….come on. Tell me there is a better guy than Cavill.

    • jinni says:

      Henry definitely has the right look, but ever since The Tudors his acting seems to have suffered.

  31. Beth says:

    I love the animated Beauty and the Beast and we don’t need a live action version. First Maleficent and then Cinderella and now this; Hollywood is really running out of ideas.

    On the casting, Emma Watson is zzzzz to me and the Beast would be CGI for most of the movie so to me the most important characteristic is the vice of the actor cast as him. And Dan Stevens doesn’t evoke the Beast’s voice, which to me is more gruff, low and menacing.

  32. InvaderTak says:

    Is the little mermaid up next? I’d love to see them try to live action that./sarcasm

    • jinni says:

      I don’t even want to imagine the cgi monstrosity that would be The Little Mermaid live action movie.

    • Amy says:

      Sure why not.

      Then they can also have a cheesy MAC collection and other lame cash grabs that have nothing to do with the actual story.

      • Valois says:

        I have to admit I’d be all up for it. I grew up in the 90s and I still love disney to death. I get they’re running out of ideas and that such a movie would not be creative by any means, but I’d still be excited.

        (And I love Mac, which means I like their Disney editions, too. Even if they could be a bit more creative and daring. I should probably feel bad about it, since I tend to be more self aware in termes of consumerism, but I don’t.)

  33. Dee Kay says:

    Wow…I can’t believe the casting of this film. I predict a big fail. Emma Watson isn’t right for Belle but she’ll be better in that role than Dan Stevens will be as the Beast. At least the Cinderella movie got the casting right, and if it blows, it’ll blow for other reasons. But this film will be hobbled before it even gets out of the gate by the leads just being all wrong.

    • mom2two says:

      I’m okay with Dan and Luke in their respective roles. It’s Emma Watson who is all wrong for me. How they did not try to get Emmy Rossum in there, is beyond me. She is the perfect Belle.
      I am thinking, as someone else mentioned in the thread, Beast probably will be largely either CGI or motion capture…so Dan Stevens can do things with his voice, he will be fine.
      Cinderella is perfectly cast and it looks like a really good movie. Richard Madden and Lily James have terrific chemistry on the red carpet (which bodes well for the on screen chemistry). Emma and Dan, Disney has to hope, will have the same type of chemistry.

      • Dee Kay says:

        Emmy Rossum would have been very good as Belle. I’m not even a big fan of hers or anything (nothing against her either), but I can definitely agree that this would have been an outstanding fit of actress and role.

  34. Saks says:

    I know this is horrible to say but I want Cinderella to flop really hard (like John Carter flop) so maybe this movie doesn’t get made. I was dragged by my mother to watch Maleficent and there is no way I’ll watch Cinderella. I can’t believe Disney is ruining its own amazing animated films into forgettable live action movies.

    I kind of take this one personal because Beauty and the Beast was my favourite film as a kid. She and Mulan were my favourite Disney characters. Belle is such a badass, an intelligent, kind and brave woman who loves to read and dreams of being much more than a simple and traditional village girl and Beast’s library was my dream!

    • Josefa says:

      Can someone please explain to me how the original animated classics will be turned any worse by the release of these new ones? I hear so many comments about that and I just don’t get it. That VHS on your shelf won’t be altered in any way. You can play it and the movie will be the same it was decades ago. Not one frame of it will be different.

      And you don’t have to watch it, either. You said yourself the movies were forgettable, so why can’t you just forget about them?

      You guys take the entertainment industry so seriously. It’s just a movie!

      • Saks says:

        About the movies, it’s a matter of cultural rearrangements but I see your point and I think you are right. Anyway that was just my opinion on a movie in a gossip site (we get to rant, cheer, etc. here, no?), nothing serious about it.

  35. Miran says:

    I’m all about Luke Evans as Gaston, yeah buddy.

  36. jammypants says:

    Kaiser, you need to…no you MUST see The Guest. He’s totally Beast just from that movie alone 😉

  37. Lara says:

    Joe Manganiello for Gaston! lol

  38. Jayna says:

    He was great in the movie that came out the fall of last year, A Walk Among The Tombstones, with Liam Neesom, a classic type old school thriller. When I first realized he was in the movie, I thought he was the wrong fit for the part since I knew him as his character on Downton Abbey, but he wasn’t wrong for it all. He played a high-level drug dealer whose wife was kidnapped, and he hired LIam Neeson, ex-cop. He was very believable in his role and even though a crook, he did a good job making you feel sorry for him. He did an excellent job.

    He could be right for this role and surprise many. He’s got range as an actor.

    • Granger says:

      My husband didn’t even realize it was Dan Stevens in that role until about halfway through the film, when he suddenly turned to me and asked, “Wait a second — is that Cousin Matthew???” Dan was THAT GOOD.

  39. Leigh says:

    I’m into this casting. Have you seen The Guest? Dan Stevens is hot as f*ck in that movie!

    • jammypants says:

      I find smoking gross, but he made it sexy, at least in this shot of the movie

      “http://mtv.mtvnimages.com/uri/mgid:file:http:shared:mtv.com/news/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/danstevens-smoke-gif-1425528669.gif”

  40. Umila says:

    I always thought Beast in human form (cartoon) was the most disappointing thing ever. When I saw Phantom of the Opera from 2004, I thought Raul looked like human beast. I can’t for the life of me think of that actors name now. He was not attractive In that movie, but I find him adorable now. Patrick something. I’m not thrilled with the casting for Belle. Emma Watson has never been one of my favorites. At least when they thought of the prettiest girl in the village, it wasn’t Kanye rallying for Kim…..Hmm, Kanye as Gaston….

  41. Sesame says:

    Good for Dan S! Maybe against-the-grain casting if expectations were along the lines of a Gosling, but I loved his turn in The Guest, and it’s def a career/visibility opportunity for him. Staying on Downton as honourable-but-kinda-milquetoast Cousin Matthew vs. co-lead in a big budget Disney is…leagues apart :).

  42. sherlockapple says:

    My opinion? He will do a great job, and so will Emma. Can’t wait to see it!

  43. Maria A. says:

    As far as I’m concerned, this new version has a LOOOOOONG way to go before it can begin to match Cocteau’s La Belle et La Bete, the best and most influential version ever done. Like Murnau’s Nosferatu, it set the standard for all versions to follow.

  44. Fan says:

    Why not. He is very good looking. Downton Abbey took off because partially of him. He should gain a little weight. Just a little.

  45. TessD says:

    I love this casting choice: Dan Stevens has this angelic look that would be perfect to show the hiding vulnerability of a beast or something like that… By the way, he’s not small – I met him in person and he was taller than me (I’m 5’9″). The best was a noble guy if I remember correctly, maybe even a prince? Jason Momoa is a beast but definitely NOT a prince. It’s easier to make one into the other than the other way around.

  46. Telicity says:

    I don’t mind Dan Stevens because he does seem pretty similar to the animated version of the prince…who was only in the movie for like 5 minutes anyway. But after seeing a preview screening of Cinderella, I’m not impressed with the main cast. If it’s at all like the live-action Cinderella then it’ll stick very closely to the animated film, i.e. there will be very little variation/originality.

    Also why is everyone supposed to have a British accent??? These are French stories! If you’re going to make a point to pick actors who can speak with a certain accent then at least have some variety!

  47. Camil says:

    This live-action version creeps me out a little, Beauty and the Beast is one of my favourite Disney movies ever, (François Truffaut’s adaptation is beautiful too).

    Emma Watson is a gorgeous young woman but I do not think she is a good actress.

  48. Jules says:

    Great casting. He was hot as hell in The Guest, and a total badass! Based on Downton, never knew he had it in him!

  49. Liz says:

    Dan Stevens, hmm, never would’ve thought of him as Beast. BUt, I think he’ll be good!

    Not too crazy about Emma playing Belle, but what can ya do?

    I’ve only seen Luke in Tamara Drew, but he was really hot! He might be smaller/not as broad or hairy as Gaston, but I think he could work as well. I’m definitely going to see this movie. 🙂