‘Beauty And The Beast’ Adds A New Piece Of Furniture: Stanley Tucci

According to Variety, the new piece of furniture has been added to the castle in Beauty and the Beast in the form of Stanley Tucci (The Hunger Games), who will play with Cadenza, a grand piano. The live-action version of Beauty and The Beast, which won’t hit theaters until 2017, is already gathering buzz after the success of Disney’s live-action Cinderella earlier this year. With an all-star cast the expectations are sure to be sky-high, as Beauty and the Beast (1991) is one of the most beloved animated films of all time.

Tucci’s role, Cadenza, is a “neurotic maestro”, which will seemingly play to the actor’s strengths. In The Devil Wears Prada and The Hunger Games franchise, Tucci was able to bring a sharp comic wit, with quick one-liners and snappy comebacks, which should be a good fit for this neurotic grand piano. This is the first new character added to the mix, so it sounds like it will be up to Tucci’s performance to make Cadenza a classic.

The rest of the cast includes Emma Watson (Harry Potter), who will play the Disney princess that has brain for reading, Belle. Playing her opposite as the Beast is Dan Stevens (The Guest), who certainly knows how to play a gentleman, as seen in his performance in Downton Abbey, though it remains to be seen if he can be the animal as well. The dashing Luke Evans (The Hobbit: Battle Of The Five Armies) will be the devilish Gaston, and his trusty sidekick will be The Book Of Mormon’s Josh Gad, playing Le Fou. Belle’s father, Maurice, is to be played by Kevin Kline. Below is the cast in their first photo together, as posted on Gad’s Instagram account.

Focusing back on the furniture, Emma Thompson (Saving Mr. Banks) leads the way as Mrs. Potts, the loveable mother figure of the castle. The friendly rivalry between candlestick and clock will be played by Ewan McGregor (Big Fish) as the flirty candlestick, Lumiere, and Sir Ian McKellen (The Lord of the Rings) as the uptight clock, Cogsworth.

Disney is planning on releasing this new version of Beauty and the Beast on March 17, 2017.