When the live-action "Beauty & the Beast" premieres in theaters this March, Emma Watson will be finding romance and singing with co-star Dan Stevens as the Beast. But did you know that Ryan Gosling was originally set to play the lead role in this Disney movie?
According to Teen Vogue, Gosling was being considered for the part of Beast when the film was in development in 2015. But the actor passed on the role to do the "La La Land" musical, which he headlines with Emma Stone.
In an interesting twist, Emma Watson was originally in contention for the lead actress in "La La Land" next to Gosling. She gave this up in favor of playing Belle in "Beauty and the Beast."
The casting hitches fortunately worked out to for both films as "La La Land" with Gosling and Stone has been well-received and critically-acclaimed. "Beauty and the Beast" with Watson and Stevens, on the other hand, is expected to rake it at the box office when it debuts.
Meanwhile, in line with the marketing and promotion of the Disney movie, the studio tied up with JC Penney for the release of the official Belle dolls. But as much as people are excited to see the film, the said merchandise is receiving criticisms from netizens for its uncanny design.
According to Telegraph, social media users are pointing out how the Belle dolls from "Beauty and the Beast" look nothing like its actress. Instead, they liken the doll's image to young pop artist Justin Bieber and have called out on how awful it is.
Emma Watson or Justin Bieber? #beautyandthebeast
A photo posted by Darren Scott (@mrdarrenscott) on Jan 7, 2017 at 5:18am PST
"Beauty and the Beast" live-action will be an adaptation of the 1991 animated movie, which also comes from Disney. Mark your calendars for March 17, 2017 for a theater date with Belle, Beast and the rest of the movie's enigmatic characters.
