Emma Watson's Thrilled Dan Stevens Will Play The Beast In 'Beauty And The Beast'

Emma Watson's Thrilled About Who's Playing Beast In 'Beauty & The Beast'
English actor Dan Stevens, who portrayed Matthew Crawley on ITV's "Downton Abbey", and is promoting his film "Summer In February", poses for a portrait, on Thursday, Jan. 9, 2014 in New York. (Photo by Scott Gries/Invision/AP)
English actor Dan Stevens, who portrayed Matthew Crawley on ITV's "Downton Abbey", and is promoting his film "Summer In February", poses for a portrait, on Thursday, Jan. 9, 2014 in New York. (Photo by Scott Gries/Invision/AP)

Dan Stevens, mostly known for his role in "Downton Abbey," has been cast as the Beast in Disney's live-action version of "Beauty and the Beast." Emma Watson, who will star as Belle in the new film, was thrilled with the news.

Watson also gave a shoutout to Luke Evans, who was cast on Wednesday as Gaston.

"Beauty and the Beast" continues Disney's trend of remaking an old animated classic into a live-action film: "Cinderella" opens March 13, and last year's "Maleficent" raked it in at the box office, a twist on "Sleeping Beauty," earning more than $700 million worldwide.

Disney has yet to confirm if "Beauty and the Beast" will be a musical, but when Watson announced her casting, she wrote in a Facebook post, "My 6-year-old self is on the ceiling -- heart bursting. Time to start some singing lessons."

We can already tell Stevens, whose credits also include "The Guest" and "A Walk Among the Tombstones," is excited for the gig:

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