It’s getting to the point where you need a score card to keep track on the many versions of the same fairy tale that will be hitting both the big and small screens. Well, you can add one more notch to the ‘Beauty and the Beast’ list as Variety is reporting that Guillermo del Toro (‘Pacific Rim’) will be directing yet another version of this classic French fairy tale.
Originally del Toro was attached to just produce the film but now he is not only directing but also writing the treatment for the film from which Andrew Davis (‘The Three Musketeers’, ‘Bridget Jones’) will be writing the screenplay. The fact that del Toro is writing the treatment does give hope that the movie may actually stand a chance of being distinctive as he is credited as co-writer for both of the upcoming ‘The Hobbit’ movies.
And the film may already have an actress for the role of Beauty as ‘Harry Potter’s’ Emma Watson is in final negotiations to star in it. Watson is currently on-screen in a supporting role in the drama ‘My Week with Marilyn’ and will appear in the upcoming Summit Entertainment film ‘The Perks of Being a Wallflower.’
With ABC and CW both working on pilots showcasing the fairy tale and Christopher Gans working on his dark version of the story for the big screen, I hope by the time del Toro’s version is released that audiences won’t be too oversaturated with the yarn. This may be a tale as old as time, but it looks like the studios are making sure we see all versions of the tale again and again and again.