Emma Watson to play Belle in Disney's live-action Beauty and the Beast
'My six-year-old self is on the ceiling,' said the former Harry Potter star
Emma Watson, British actress and former Harry Potter star, has been cast to play Belle in a live-action interpretation of Disney's Beauty and the Beast.
The 24-year-old first catapulted to stardom at the age of 10 as the brainy muggle-witch Hermione Granger in the blockbuster Harry Potter franchise.
14 years later, Watson—who is also a UN Women Goodwill Ambassador and Brown University graduate—says she's thrilled to play Belle, the bookish yet adventure-seeking princess who falls in love with a hideous beast.
"It was such a big part of my growing up," Watson wrote in a Facebook post Monday.
"It's almost feels surreal that I'll get to dance to Be Our Guest and sing Something There. My six-year-old self is on the ceiling."
- On mobile? Read Emma Watson's post here
Disney's hit animated version of Beauty and the Beast has grossed more than $424-million US worldwide since its release in 1991.
The live-action version will be helmed by Twilight Saga director Bill Condon.
Production is slated to begin later this year.