We have known for a while that Guillermo del Toro was taking on the world of Pinocchio but now we have learnt he will also undertake a Live-Action version of Beauty and the Beast. Not much is know about the film as yet other then he’s currently finishing work on Pacific Rim which is due for release later this year then he starts work on Beauty and the Beast which he will be writing, producing and directing. For those who don’t know much about del Toro here’s a bit of a description via wikipedia.
Guillermo del Toro is a Mexican film director, screenwriter, producer, and novelist. In his filmmaking career, del Toro has alternated between Spanish dark fantasy pieces, such as The Devil’s Backbone (2001) and Pan’s Labyrinth (2006), and more mainstream American action movies, such as Blade II (2002) and Hellboy (2004). Del Toro is a frequent collaborator of Federico Luppi, Ron Perlman and Doug Jones. His films draw heavily on sources as diverse as weird fiction, fantasy and war.
Guillermo was also hired by Peter Jackson to direct The Hobbit but had to pull out because of constant delays caused by MGM’s financial troubles back in 2010, he did continued to co-write the screenplays.
With Beauty and the Beast barely starting pre-production I really don’t think we will see it for at least another year or two but what we do know is Emma Watson (Harry Potter, Perks of Being a Wallflower) has signed on to play Belle no other casting has been released as yet, or if its going to have musical numbers or dancing teacups. Evenstill I’m rather intrigued by it and being a fan of del Toro’s previous films I’m pretty excited about seeing his take on this beloved Disney story.
If you want to see what his films look like all you have to do is take a look at the trailer for PACIFIC RIM and for you guys who need a refresh of Beauty and the Beast take a look at the trailer below from the 3D re-release last year.
