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Emma Watson will play Belle in Disney's live-action Beauty and the Beast

Emma Watson will play Belle in Disney's live-action Beauty and the Beast

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Emma Watson had a big year in 2014, co-starring in Darren Aronofsky's Noah and serving as the UN's Women Goodwill Ambassador. Now, Disney has just announced that the Harry Potter alum is slated to star as Belle in the upcoming live-action adaptation of Beauty and the Beast.

Twilight: Breaking Dawn director Bill Condon is attached to helm the film, and production is set to begin later this year. Disney is pushing hard for live-action interpretations of its classic properties, especially after the Sleeping Beauty-inspired Maleficent brought in more than $750 million at global box offices last year. A live-action version of Cinderella is even due out this March, a project Watson turned down back in 2013. Here's hoping we see a live-action version of Aladdin told from Jasmine's perspective sometime in the next ten years.