The Hollywood Reporter reports that ABC Live’s “Beauty and the Beast” cast has been completed.
There are still roles to be filled in the live Beauty and the Beast special that will be broadcast on ABC, and casting is now ongoing.
Martin Short, David Alan Grier, Shania Twain, Rizwan Manji, Jon Jon Briones, and Leo Abelo Perry have been added to the cast of the special that will air on December 15 to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the film being nominated for best picture at the Academy Awards. The special is being aired in order to commemorate the fact that the film was nominated for the award 30 years ago. This film holds the distinction of being the very first animated feature to get this award. They are going to be a part of an ensemble that will be led by H.E.R., who was awarded a Grammy for her performance as Belle, and Josh Groban, who is going to play the role of the Beast. The one-hour program will also star Joshua Henry, and Rita Moreno will provide the narration for it.
Lumiere will be played only by Short, who was one of the main characters in Murders in the Building. Grier, winner of the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play for his work on “A Soldier’s Portray” and “The Patient,” will take on the role of Cogsworth. Twain, a country music artist who has won multiple Grammy Awards, will play Mrs. Potts, while Perry will take on the role of Chip, Mrs. Potts’ son. Both Manji (Schitt’s Creek) and Briones (Ratched) have been cast in the parts of LeFou, Gaston’s (Henry) sidekick, and Maurice, Belle’s father, respectively. Both actors are set to be in the live-action version of Beauty and the Beast that is coming out soon.
In July, the network ABC made the decision to purchase the special, which would have a mix of live action and animation, in addition to new musical performances, as well as sets and costumes that are based on the movie. Jon M. Chu, the creator of Wicked and In the Heights, will serve as an executive producer for the production, while Hamish Hamilton, director of the Grammy Awards and the Super Bowl halftime show, will be in charge of directing it.
Done + Dusted is the company that is in charge of producing the special, and they are working with Walt Disney Television Alternative and Electric Somewhere. In addition, the roles of executive producer are filled by Caitlin Foito, Hamilton, Raj Kapoor, Richard Kraft, and Katy Mullan. It is H.E.R. who is in charge of producing the album.
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