BEAUTY AND THE BEAST seemed to have found the last major cast member with yesterday's news that Ewan McGregor was joining the film as the candelabra Lumiere. But, one more big name is joining Emma Watson, Luke Evans, Josh Gad, Emma Thompson, Kevin Kline, Dan Stevens, and Ian McKellen in Bill Condon's live action adaptation of the animated classic: Stanley Tucci.
The Hollywood Reporter says Tucci will play an all new character written for the live action film. An anthropomorphic piano, Tucci's character will be named Cadenza. How he fits into the plot of the film is unknown but I would expect getting Tucci to voice the character means either he will sing or has a part to play in the narrative. While there was no piano in the 1991 film, the direct to video sequel BELLE'S ENCHANTED CHRISTMAS did feature a villainous pipe organ named Forte. Could this be a variation of that character?
Stanley Tucci has been a go to character actor for decades, most recently appearing in TRANSFORMERS: AGE OF EXTINCTION and Caesar Flickman in THE HUNGER GAMES movies. I have had a soft sport for his directorial work, especially BIG NIGHT and THE IMPOSTORS, but he has also directed for the stage. But, I am not sure I have seen any film with him singing. In either case, Tucci is an instantly likeable personality and his addition to the cast is another great selection by Condon and Disney.
While it is expected to stay close to the animated film, I would not be surprised if BEAUTY AND THE BEAST has some surprises for us. Production is set to get underway soon in preparation for a March 17, 2017 release.