Barkhad Abdi celebrates winning Best Supporting Actor for "Captain Phillips" with Emma Thompson at the BAFTA awards ceremony in London
IN PHOTO: Barkhad Abdi (L) celebrates winning Best Supporting Actor for "Captain Phillips" with Emma Thompson at the British Academy of Film and Arts (BAFTA) awards ceremony at the Royal Opera House in London Reuters

Set for March 17, 2017 3D release, veteran actors Emma Thompson and Kevin Kline joins Emma Watson (Belle), Dan Steven (Beast) and Luke Evans (Gaston) in the live-action “Beauty and the Beast.” Riding the current success of “Cinderella,” the reimagining of the classic Disney film by “The Twilight Saga” director Bill Condon with a screenplay written by “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” writer Stephen Chbosky.

The “Nanny McPhee” actress is set to star as Mrs Potts who was voiced originally by Angela Lansbury in the original animated film. Thompson will be singing the classic “Tale As Old As Time” as the film will feature the 1991 original sons, which were written by Alan Menken and Howard Ashman.

Joining Thompson is fellow veteran actor Kevin Kline who will be playing Belle’s father, Maurice, or also known as “Crazy Old Maurice.” The actor is known for his roles in “The Last of Robin Hood” (2013), “My Old Lady” (2014 and is currently filming “Ricki and the Flash.”

Menken is also scheduled to reprise his role as songwriter for the “Beauty and the Beast” remake (Ashman died before the original movie was released) and Tim Rice will join him as co-writer. The 65-year-old composer and pianist are also known for his scores in “The Little Mermaid,” “Aladdin,” “Pocahontas” and “Tangled,” and has won him eight Academy Awards.

Menken won two Oscars for “Beauty and the Beast” and the new film is set to feature new recordings of the original songs in addition to several new songs written by him and Rice. The movie will be produced by Mandeville Films’ David Hoberman and Todd Lieberman.

Meanwhile, the “Harry Potter” alum announced her role as Belle in January on her Facebook page as she told all her fans about playing her childhood dream. The movie is also a reunion between the actress and Chbosky as the two worked together in “Perks of Being a Wallflower” with Logan Lerman.

“I’m finally able to tell you… that I will be playing Belle in Disney’s new live-action Beauty and the Beast! It was such a big part of my growing up, it almost feels surreal that I’ll get to dance to ‘Be Our Guest’ and sing ‘Something There’,” Watson wrote on her Facebook wall. “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”

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