Bill Condon explains how some of his past films are reflected in Beauty and the Beast
Disney‘s live-action Beauty and the Beast debuts in theaters this weekend and hopefully our week of coverage has helped tide you over! We already brought you video interviews with leads Dan Stevens and Emma Watson as well as the rest of the Beauty of the Beast cast. Now, we’re pleased to present our final video, a conversation with director Bill Condon. Condon, who took home an Academy Award for the screenplay to his acclaimed 1998 James Whale biopic, Gods and Monsters, discusses some repeated themes that have appeared in his work. Check out the video in the player below to learn how projects like the two-part The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn helped prepare him for the challenge of bringing Beauty and the Beast to life.
RELATED: Watch the Final Beauty and the Beast Trailer
Beauty and the Beast stars Emma Watson as Belle; Dan Stevens as the Beast; Luke Evans as Gaston, the handsome, but shallow villager who woos Belle; Oscar winner Kevin Kline as Maurice, Belle’s eccentric, but lovable father; and Josh Gad as Lefou, Gaston’s long-suffering aide-de-camp. The film also features Ewan McGregor as Lumière, Gugu Mbatha-Raw as Plumette, Ian McKellen as Cogsworth, Stanley Tucci as Cadenza, Audra McDonald as Garderobe and Emma Thompson as Mrs. Potts.
Directed by Bill Condon and based on the 1991 animated film, Beauty and the Beast is produced by Mandeville Films’ David Hoberman and Todd Lieberman with eight-time Oscar-winning composer Alan Menken, who won two Academy Awards (Best Original Score and Best Song) for the 1991 animated film, providing the score, which will include new recordings of the original songs written by Menken and Howard Ashman, as well as several new songs written by Menken and three-time Oscar winner Tim Rice.
Bill Condon’s Beauty and the Beast will be released in theaters tomorrow, March 17. Will you be seeing it this weekend? Let us know in the comments below!