The "Beauty and the Beast' live-action retelling has now found its Prince as "Downton Abbey' star Dan Stevens has been set to join the project as Beast and will star alongside Emma Watson, who will portray Belle in the story.
Meanwhile, crossing over from the world of "Dracula Untold', actor Luke Evans has joined the cast to play the villain Gaston.
Bill Condon ("The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn', Part 1 and Part 2) will be taking on directorial duties while David Hoberman and Todd Lieberman will be the project's producers. Production will begin this 2015.
Although there have been no confirmations whether the live-action retelling of "Beauty and the Beast' will be a musical or a film, Watson dropped hints in a Facebook post about what fans can look forward to when she plays the role of Belle.
"It was such a big part of my growing up, it almost feels surreal that I'll get to dance to 'Be Our Guest' and sing 'Something There," the "Harry Potter' actress shared. "Time to start some singing lessons."
The upcoming live-action project will be a huge opportunity for Stevens, who last appeared in the action thriller "The Guest' by Adam Wingard. He also took on supporting roles in films such as "A Walk Among the Tombstones' with Liam Neeson and "Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb' alongside Ben Stiller.
Since the animated classic was released in 1991, "Beauty and the Beast' has already pulled in over $145 million in the local box office, thanks to various releases. The title was also adapted for Broadway in 1994.
This latest take on "Beauty and the Beast' is a continuation of Disney's goal to take a number of its animated classics and set them up for a contemporary live-action makeover.
The most recent outcome is the romantic fantasy film "Cinderella', which features mostly British actors; these include Steven's fellow "Downton Abbey' regular Lily James as Cinderella herself and "Game of Thrones' star Richard Madden as Prince Charming. Prior to its official release on March 13, the film is reportedly being met with positive reviews.
Last year, "Sleeping Beauty' was also given a live-action take through the dark fantasy film "Maleficent' starring Angelina Jolie, which pulled in roughly $758 million in the international box office.
Directed by Jon Favreau, a live-action version of the "Jungle Book' is also set for a release in April 2016.
