Emma Watson is the U.N. Women Goodwill Ambassador (Photo : Facebook)
Known for her "Harry Potter" role Hermione Granger, Emma Watson took to Facebook to announce that she is playing Belle in the Disney film "Beauty In The Beast."
"I'm finally able to tell you... that I will be playing Belle in Disney's new live-action Beauty and the Beast!" Watson wrote.
For the 24-year-old British actress , "Beauty and the Beast" was such a big part of her growing up so it almost feels surreal that she will get to dance to "Be Our Guest" and sing "Something There."
"My six year old self is on the ceiling - heart bursting. Time to start some singing lessons. I can't wait for you to see it. Emma xx," Watson added.
The Disney live-action will be helmed by Bill Condon, the director of both the first and second parts of "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn." The script was written by Stephen Chbosky, who also directed Watson in "The Perks of Being a Wallflower."
Before the official announcement of Watson's role as Belle in "Beauty and the Beast," the actress appeared on Jan. 23 along with UN Women at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, where she sat beside UN General Secretary Ban Ki-moon as she discussed the new HeForShe IMPACT 10X10X10 pilot initiative.
Similar to "Alice in Wonderland" and "Sleeping Beauty" and the upcoming films "Cinderella" and "The Jungle Book," the latest Disney animated classic "Beauty and the Beast" is to set to get a live-action revamp, according to Los Angeles Times.
Disney's animated "Beauty" was originally released in 1991. It was a hit both critically and commercially as one of the few animated movies nominated Best Picture by the Academy Awards and has grossed more than $424 million internationally.
While the release date of the new "Beauty and the Beast" film is yet to be set, the production was said to begin later this year.
