‘Beauty and the Beast’ LIVE Cast Announced
A live-action special entitled Beauty and the Beast: A 30th Celebration will air on Disney+ in December to commemorate the three decade anniversary of the animated classic.
According to a report by Deadline, Grammy Award-winner H.E.R. will be playing Belle alongside Josh Groban as the Beast. They will be joined by Tony Award nominee Joshua Henry as Gaston and EGOT winner and theater legend Rita Moreno as the narrator. The casting announcement was made during the D23 Expo 2022.
Beauty and the Beast was the first animated feature to receive an Academy Award nomination for Best Picture. With music by Alan Menken and lyrics by the late Howard Ashman, the film features iconic songs such as “Belle,” “Be Our Guest,” “Something There,” and the titular song. The film was adapted into a Broadway musical in 1994 and was nominated for nine Tony Awards, winning for Best Costume Design. The film was adapted into a live-action version in 2017. Groban previously recorded the song “Evermore” for the 2017 live-action movie.
As previously reported, the two-hour special will be a reimagining of Beauty and the Beast including a screening of the film and live never-before-seen musical performances, and brand new sets and costumes inspired by the story. Each performance will pay tribute to the animated classic while also adding new elements for the audience to enjoy.
The show will be presented by The Wonderful World of Disney, directed by Hamish Hamilton and executive produced by Jon M. Chu, Caitlin Foito, Hamilton, Raj Kapoor, Richard Kraft and Katy Mullan.
The special will be taped in front of a live audience at Disney Studios and will air December 15 on ABC and on Disney+ on December 16.
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