As we reported back in July, HARRY POTTER star Emma Watson was being touted as appearing in a new, Guillermo Del Toro produced re-imagining of the classic fairytale BEAUTY AND THE BEAST. 

So what’s changed? Nowt much to be honest. Watson’s still on board and in final negotiations to star, but it’s now been announced that Del Toro will not just be in a producing role, it will also be his next directorial outing.

Fans of the visionary director (and Emma Watson) best not hold their breaths though. He’s still got quite a few projects on the go (as always), most enticingly the monster vs. mecha mash-up PACIFIC RIM which he’s currently hard at work at for Warner Bros, which won’t be arriving until May next year.

Andrew Davies will provide the screenplay for BEAST (as it’s currently known), with Warner Bros (again) providing the bank roll.

While we’re all looking forward to seeing what Del Tora has in store, we think he missed a trick not getting in on the reboot of the old BEAUTY AND THE BEAST show currently in production at The CW. He could have persuaded his old mucker Ron Pearlman to return, how cool would that have been! …Ok, maybe not.

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