‘Beauty And The Beast’ Casting: Ewan McGregor To Play Lumière
The Beauty and the Beast casting continues to add stars to its already impressive lineup. We now have our Lumière, which will be played by actor Ewan McGregor.
According to the Los Angeles Times, the 44-year-old Scot is in final negotiations (so it’s a pretty sure thing) to play the human turned candelabra. Lumière — which means “Light” in French — is a man who was turned into a candelabra and at the end of story, the spell is broken and he is transformed back into a human. Belle and Lumière are Beast’s best friends.
Disney’s live-action musical version of the Beauty and the Beast continues casting, and McGregor joins a stellar ensemble. Dan Stevens (Downton Abbey) will play Beast, Emma Watson (Harry Potter) is Belle, Luke Evans (Dracula Untold) plays Gaston, Josh Gad (Frozen) as Le Fou, Emma Thompson (Saving Mr. Banks) as Mrs. Potts, Ian McKellen (The Hobbit) is Cogsworth, and Kevin Kline (Wild Wild West) is Maurice. Here is the plot.
“An enchantress, disguised as an old beggar, offers a prince a rose in exchange for shelter in his castle from the cold, but the prince arrogantly refuses. In response, the enchantress transforms him into a beast, and his servants into household items. She gives him a magic mirror that enables him to view faraway events, along with the enchanted rose that she had offered. To break the curse, the prince must learn to love another and earn her love in return before the rose’s last petal falls. If he fails, he will remain a beast forever.
Ten years later, a young bookworm named Belle is bored of her village and seeks excitement. Due to her nonconformist ideals, she is ridiculed by everyone but her father Maurice and an arrogant, muscular hunter named Gaston. Despite other women flirting with him and many men admiring him, Gaston is determined to marry Belle. She repeatedly rejects his advances.”
Ewan McGregor’s Beauty and the Beast casting fits perfectly, as he is an experienced singer, who can comfortably join the ongoing rehearsals at Shepperton Studios on London’s outskirts. He has proven himself in the musical field on Baz Luhrmann’s Moulin Rouge, as well as the stage production of Guys and Dolls and other films.
The Beauty and the Beast casting for the main characters is almost complete, with only the teacup, Chip, and supporting characters left to be announced. Ewan McGregor will feature predominantly in the number titled “Be Our Guest.”
[Photos by Theo Wargo/NBC/Getty Images, Disney]
