Luke Evans Cast in ‘Beauty & the Beast’; Dan Stevens in Talks to Play the Beast

Luke Evans has signed on to play Gaston, while Downton Abbey‘s Dan Stevens is reportedly in talks to play the Beast, opposite Emma Watson, in the upcoming live adaptation of Disney’s Beauty & the Beast.

The 35-year-old movie star, who you may recognize from portraying blockbuster characters like Dracula, Zeus, Apollo, Aramis and The Hobbit‘s Bard, has reportedly replaced Oscar winner Eddie Redmayne as the frontrunner for the role, will be expected show off his singing skills in the Disney film, according to Variety.com, after having previously performed in West End musicals Rent, Miss Saigon and Piaf.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Dan Stevens is currently in negotiations to play the Beast in the Bill Condon directed adaptation. Stevens most recently starred in Adam Wingard’s action thriller The Guest.

News of the casting comes as a new French adaptation of Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont’s fairytale roles out across Europe. The Christophe Gans movie features Vincent Cassel, Lea Seydoux and Andre Dussollier.

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