Whether it's a comic book, a classic novel or a fairy tale, adapting an iconic property almost always requires a certain amount of changes to be made along the way. Beauty and the Beast will be no different. The update on the beloved story will feature plenty of familiar ideas and tropes that fans have come to expect, but now it seems that the film may also include an unprecedented glimpse into the life of The Prince (Dan Stevens) before his transformation into the Beast -- long before he meets Emma Watson's Belle. Here's what one of these insightful scenes will be, according to Beauty and the Beast director Bill Condon:
It's basically an international debutante ball.
Bill Condon's recent comments to EW promise fans of the Beauty and the Beast universe a much more fleshed out look at the life of The Prince before he transforms into the Beast. The scene will involve an extravagant ball which he finds himself visited by a number of potential brides, but his seemingly charmed existence will inevitably be cut short by the tried and true narrative that we have all come to know and love over the years. Spoiler alert: he won't stay handsome and charming forever.
Based on these comments, it also seems reasonable to assume that we may see the human versions of the Beast's servants early on in the movie as well. Part of the Beast's curse involves the transformation of his servants into household items, such as the talking candelabra Lumiere, who will be played by Ewan McGregor in the film. There IS a dance scene at the end of the original story in which everyone has reverted back to their human forms, but now it appears that we will actually see a similar sequence occur much earlier in the story.
Because we are going to see The Prince before his transformation into the titular Beast in this version of the movie, it seems entirely likely that this ball sequence will serve to hammer home the underlying themes of the Beauty and the Beast narrative. One of the most iconic core lessons of the story is not to judge people based on their outward appearances and to recognize the inner beauty in those around you. On that note, it seems very possible that this segment of the film will show The Prince during a time in his life in which he has not learned those lessons, and he may not be the kindest person to those around him. Of course, that will change once he undergoes his transformation and Belle eventually enters his life.
As always, CinemaBlend will endeavor to bring you any and all relevant updates related to the upcoming live-action Beauty and the Beast film as more information related to the project becomes available to us. The film will charm audiences everywhere when it hits theaters on March 17.
Are you looking for an even better glimpse at Bill Condon's upcoming live-action version of Beauty and the Beast? Check out a trailer for the highly anticipated movie on the next page to see what the Disney adaptation has in store for fans of the fairy tale!
