It was all beauty and no beast when Emma Watson and Dan Stevens posed together Thursday for the U.K. launch of Disney’s latest live-action remake.
The “Beauty and the Beast” stars epitomized English elegance with a splash of Hollywood glamour at a gala screening in London, England, ahead of the fantasy musical film’s March 17 opening.
Best known for her long-running role as Hermione Granger in the “Harry Potter” film series, Watson dazzled like a true princess in a silver eco-friendly Emilia Wickstead gown, which draped down the grassy-like green carpet.
Watson slips into the role of Belle with ease, opening the film by singing an updated version of the Alan Menken and Howard Ashman classic, “Belle.”
Meanwhile, “Legion” star Stevens, who is completely unrecognizable under The Beast’s monstrous visage, was a dashing date in a black suit. Stevens revealed that The Beast’s face was created by CGI, while he staggered around set on stilts in a muscle suit.
“Beauty and the Beast” also stars Luke Evans, Josh Gad, Emma Thompson, Ian McKellen, Stanley Tucci and Audra McDonald.
“Dracula Untold” and “The Hobbit” actor Luke Evans plays the villainous Gaston, a hunter on the loose to take Belle for himself.
Golden Globe, Tony, SAG and countless other awards winner Sir Ian McKellen portrays Cogsworth the Beast’s tightly wound and extremely loyal Majordomo.
Beloved British actress Emma Thompson is perfectly cast as Mrs. Potts, the castle’s head of the kitchen, who brings a loving, motherly feel to its cold corridors. She is equally as comforting to Belle and Maurice even after she’s transformed into a teapot by the Enchantress.
Stanley Tucci (left, with Evans), who received an Oscar Best Supporting Actor for 2009’s “The Lovely Bones,” plays Cadenza the grand piano, a new character who is described as a neurotic maestro.
Bill Condon (“Gods and Monsters,” “Chicago,” “Kinsey,” “Dreamgirls”) directs the latest adaptation of Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont’s fairy tale, which was written by Stephen Chbosky and Evan Spiliotopoulos.
Child star Nathan Mack, appearing as Chip in the Disney fantasy flick, was interviewed by an equally-young reporter on the red carpet at the U.K. screening.
Estimated to enjoy a huge opening of $120 million-plus, the musical follows in the footsteps of Disney’s other live-action fantasy films such as “Alice in Wonderland,” “Maleficent,” “Cinderella” and “The Jungle Book.”
