Emma Watson Confirmed For Belle In Disney's Live-Action BEAUTY AND THE BEAST

The Wrap has learned that Harry Potter actress Emma Watson has closed a deal to play the role of Belle in Disney's live-action adaptation of Beauty And The Beast.

She has confirmed the news on her Facebook page, hinting that there could be some musical numbers incorporated from the animated film.

The film will be directed by Bill Condon but don't let the Twilight links fool you, the script was recently rewriting by Perks of Being A Wallflower's Stephen Chbosky

Emma had been attached for the competing project over at Warner Bros. which had Guillermo del Toro set to direct, the project sort of fell apart and Watson decided on switching to the Disney project instead. Apparently, she got the blessing from del Toro to move to the other film instead.

Disney has already made a killing with live-action adaptations of Alice In Wonderland and Maleficent (Sleeping Beauty). It's expected that both Cinderella and Beauty could be huge successes as well.

SOURCE: THE WRAP

Alfonso Cuarón In Talks To Direct HARRY POTTER Spin-Off FANTASTIC BEASTS

NikkiFinke is about to make a comeback after being forced-out of Deadline, and she already has a decent scoop. She claims that Alfonso Cuarón (Children of Men, Gravity) is now in talks to direct Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them. A Harry Potter spin-off book written by J.K. Rowling and is said to be getting a trilogy treatment.

Alfonso had been rumored to be in the mix for future Star Wars films. Warner Bros. trying to lock him into these new Potter films would be a smart move, on their part. Cuarón is credited for directing the first mature installment of the Potter franchise with The Prisoner of Azkaban. Having him spearhead a new trilogy could make for something worth getting excited.

SOURCE: NIKKIFINKE

Christoph Waltz To Play Villain While Emma Stone And Margot Robbie In Talks To Replace Jessica Chastain In TARZAN

Variety reports two-time Oscar winner Christoph Waltz is in talks to play the villain in Warner Bros. updated take on Tarzan. Alexander Skarsgard is set to play Tarzan while Jessica Chastain recently dropped out of the role of Jane. They go on to mention that actresses Emma Stone (Amazing Spider-Man 1-2) and Margot Robbie (Wolf of Wall Street) are being looked at for Jane, along with others. David Yates, who directed the latter Harry Potter films is set to helm the film. Samuel L. Jackson had been linked for a supporting role but it's possible production of Age of Ultron could be an issue.

Legendary Prop Sculptor Brian Muir Will Work On GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY

BleedingCool reports that legendary prop sculptor Brian Muir will be working on Marvel's Guardians of The Galaxy. Brian Muir has worked on a numerous amount of stellar productions including Star Wars: A New Hope (Vader, Storm Troopers), Alien (Space Jockey), Superman, Excalibur, Dragonslayer, The Dark Crystal, Indiana Jones And The Raiders of The Lost Ark, Krull, Indiana Jones And The Temple of Doom, Return To Oz, Willow, Erik The Viking, Indiana Jones And The Last Crusade, Lost In Space, Planet of The Apes, Harry Potter (The Prisoner of Azkaban, The Order of The Phoenix, The Half-Blood Prince, The Deathly Hollows), James Bond (Skyfall, Die Another Day, Tomorrow Never Dies, Golden Eye, License To Kill, The Living Daylights, A View To A Kill, For Your Eyes Only, The Spy Who Loved Me) John Carter, Captain America: The First Avenger, Thor: The Dark World and Snow White And The Huntsman. Including creating the iconic helmet for Darth Vader in the first Star Wars film.

Jessica Chastain Linked For Role In David Yates' TARZAN

NYPost reports that two time Oscar nominated actress Jessica Chastain is being looked at for the female lead in David Yates' Tarzan. Actors Alexander Skarsgard and Samuel L. Jackson had been previously linked for leads as well.

Could Alfonso Cuarón Direct STAR WARS EPISODE VIII?

MarketSaw has been one of the only non-trades on the pulse of the new Star Wars trilogy. They were the first ones to actually announce the new trilogy back in 2009 and took it on the chin because LucasFilm didn't confirm the news for ages. They also revealed the directors list for Episode VII which included runner-up Matthew Vaughn who was confirmed to have pitched to LucasFilm. Another name on that list was Alfonso Cuarón. The site is reporting that Alfonso is now lining-up to direct Episode VIII, Episode IX or both. If true,  J.J. Abrams might only be around for Episode VII.

The director is best known for the dystopian thriller Children of Men and his much more mature Harry Potter installment The Prisoner of Azkaban. His anticipated sci-fi thriller Gravity starring Sandra Bullock and George Clooney will finally be released later this year. Alfonso Cuarón was reported back in September to be working with J.J. Abrams on an untitled supernatural/superpower series for NBC, which Alfonso would co-write/direct the pilot. It's very likely the relationship with Abrams has grown since along with the fact that Cuarón had been on LucasFilms' radar. We should keep in mind that three different directors made the original trilogy. It could be the studio is also aiming for a darker film with Episode VIII similar to Empire Strikes Back. Having Cuarón directing could find the right amount of darkness for a PG-13 film.

Alexander Skarsgard Frontrunner For TARZAN And Samuel L. Jackson Wanted For Role

Variety reports that Alexander Skarsgard (True Blood) is in talks to take the title role in David Yate's (Deathly Hollows) Tarzan. A bunch of names had been previously linked for the role which included Henry Cavill, Charlie Hunnam and Tom Hardy. Samuel L. Jackson is also being looked for the role of Williams, a Civil War vet turned mercenary who helps Tarzan on his adventure. I have to admit this sounds a bit more interesting than a straight up remake of a film we've seen many times before.

"Years after he's re-assimilated into society, he's asked by Queen Victoria to investigate the goings-on in the Congo. Tarzan teams with an ex-mercenary named George Washington Williams to save the Congo from a fierce warlord who controls a massive diamond mine."

Daniel Radcliffe Wants To Play The Flash

Collider spoke to Daniel Radcliffe during press for the BluRay release of The Woman In Black which was adapted by Jane Goldman (X-Men First Class 1-2, Kick-Ass). Daniel says that he'd be open to making a comic book film but a lot of the big names have been taken. Stating that he'd love a shot at The Flash, which shows an extremely loyalty to Warner Bros. The studio stated they'd be pursuing DC heroes to replace the void left by Potter. It makes sense to see WB try to wrangle Daniel into playing one of their heroes.

"Yeah, absolutely. I dunno who’s left, I mean a lot of comic books have . . . they’ve all been done. I don’t think anyone’s done The Flash yet, and that’s one I’d probably have a go at. Other then that, I’m not sure which comic book heroes are left."


Currently there is a script in place for The Flash but with Green Lantern bombing last summer the studio will be cautious with their next move. Lobo looks like the next movie to get made along with the Batman reboot, Sgt. Rock, Man of Steel 2, Wonder Woman and Suicide Squad.

David Tennant Wanted For 'FAST SIX'?

LatinoReview has word British actor David Tennant (Harry Potter, Doctor Who) is in talks with director Justin Lin for a role in Fast Six. His role is currently unknown but with the film heading to London it would make sense to sprinkle the sequel with local talent. Luke Evans is being linked for the villain role so it's possible David could be aligned with Evans or apart of Scotland Yard.

Guillermo del Toro Will Direct Beauty And The Beast For WB

Variety reports that Guillmero del Toro (Hellboy, Blade 2, Pan's Labryinth) will direct Warner Bros' live-action adaptation of Beauty And The Beast. Del Toro is currently finishing up production on Pacific Rim for the studio. Harry Potter's Emma Watson is set to star in the film with Andrew Davies handling script duites. Davies' credits include the first two Bridget's Diaries films and last year's Three Musketeers. Guillermo is known for lining up many projects but this will be the first one in the pile with both a lead and writer attached. This would likely push back other projects such as his Frankenstein and Haunted Mansion adaptations. A production date isn't mentioned but with Pacific Rim not being released until May 10th 2013, it's expected a start date won't happen until next summer.

It's not surprising that there is heat behind two Beauty And The Beasty projects. As Disney re-released the animated film in 3D recently and had a decent return. The competing French production from Christophe Gans (Brotherhood of The Wolf) will likely be a French language film. I also expect with del Toro now directing the WB project will end up being more lavished from a heightened budget and design focused.

David Yates Looking To Make Doctor Who Film

ShowBlitz reports that Harry Potter director David Yates is looking to make a new Doctor Who film. Yates is best known as the director of the latter Potter films which include Order of The Phoenix, The Half-Blood Prince and The Deathly Hollows 1-2. It's not ready to go just yet as Yates is currently looking at writers and believes the project is two years away from release. The film would be a fresh take and won't be influenced by the television series. This means previous actors are out of the running to play the lead. Yates has been choosing his next film carefully after Potter while he had been linked for some big studios he has yet to announce what is next.


While this is likely a year or so away from casting I think Tom Hiddleston (War Horse, Thor, Avengers) would make an excellent Doctor. Mainly because he's a talented actor with a great sense of drama and humor along with deserving a heroic/iconic role like this. I'm sure he'll end up with many human companions in the film. I would hope that the feisty Ruth Wilson (The Lone Ranger) who has been stealing scenes in BBC's Luther could have a role as well.

Garrett Hedlund Now In Official Talks For Akira

Variety reports that front-runner Garrett Hedlund (Tron Legacy, Troy) has been offered the role of Kaneda in Akira and is now in talks with Warner Bros. Hedlund had been in the running since the original group of actors were revealed. Twitch previously mentioned that Gary Oldman and Helena Bonham Carter could be up for roles as well. It will be directed by Jaume Collet-Serra with a script from Steve Kloves (Amazing Spider-Man) who is best known for writing a majority of the Harry Potter screenplays.