First Look at Emma Watson In Beauty and the Beast

Images have dropped of Emma Watson as Belle and Dan Stevens as the Beast from the upcoming live-action remake of the Disney classic.

After decades of classics and straight-to-DVD sequels, Disney has found its next market in live-action remakes of animated classics. Recently, the company has found success with Maleficent (2014), Cinderella (2015), and The Jungle Book (2016), and they’re not stopping there by any means. Their live-action take on Beauty and the Beast comes to the big screen in March 2017. And it’s been a major talk of the town since it was announced. Of course, it helps that they snagged Harry Potter star Emma Watson for the lead role as Belle.

Watson’s performance as the brave and bookish Hermione Granger is nothing short of iconic. You really can’t expect anything less from Harry Potter, after all. While Watson has found success in other ventures since Potter ended in 2011, she’s back to her Granger-esque roots in Beauty and the Beast. Her roles in projects like The Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012) and The Bling Ring (2013) have exemplified her range as an actor. But I suspect she has an intimate understanding of Belle that can only be helped by Watson’s experience in a similar role.

Of course, Belle and Hermione have their differences. They’re not the same character, but they do share traits that Watson will surely play upon to great success. Their courage, kindness, and love of a good book tie the women together perhaps not irrevocably, but there is a comfortable familiarity between the two.

While we can speculate upon these roles as such, fans still haven’t gotten a good look at Watson in her newest performance. Although Disney dropped the teaser trailer, it doesn’t show much in the way of details. But thanks to the folks at Stitch Kingdom and Hypable, we have our first look at Watson and costar Dan Stevens in their roles as the semi-star-crossed lovers.

Image via Stitch Kingdom

The first image is of Emma Watson in full Belle getup. She’s even got the library behind her. Perchance this is the scene from her musical number, “Belle”? It sure looks that way. Not to mention, we know that Disney decided to retain all the musical glory that helped to make Beauty and the Beast so popular in the first place. So we definitely have some songs to look forward to.

Regardless, Watson as Belle looks just as at home in that library as Hermione often did in Hogwarts’.

Image via Stitch Kingdom

The second photo finds Belle in the company of her Beast, Dan Stevens. Admittedly, Belle here doesn’t look as though she’s having the time of her life. Hermione was notably more carefree when she accompanied Viktor Krum to the Yule Ball in Goblet of Fire. But then again, Beauty and the Beast is less about a fun night out and more about… Well, arguable Stockholm Syndrome. But let’s not spoil the wholesome family fun.

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Well, folks, there you have it–a sneak peek at Watson’s newest character in another beloved children’s classic. She really has those clever, self-sufficient character traits on lock. We look forward to seeing her performance in full when Beauty and the Beast hits theaters early next year.