The upcoming "Beauty and the Beast" 30th Anniversary Special is now recruiting a more star-studded cast than ever.
Josh Groban, Rita Moreno, and Joshua Henry join the pack playing significant roles in the special celebration.
The special production of the beloved movie musical is making history as GRAMMY and Oscar-winning singer H.E.R. will be the first Afro-Filipina Disney Princess and Belle.
'Beauty and the Beast' 30th Anniversary Special Cast
In an exclusive report from Variety, the "Beauty and the Beast" 30th Anniversary Special cast has already been rolled out.
Taking the role as the storyteller on the 30th Anniversary special is the Tony, Emmy, and Oscar awardee entertainment icon Rita Moreno. Someone of Moreno's caliber is fitting to tell one of the greatest stories ever told.
"Hamilton's" Joshua Henry will be playing the slick, quick, and incredibly thick Gaston in the upcoming production. Although Henry has not played a role in an adaptation of "Beauty and the Beast" his role as Rapunzel's Prince in the current production of "Into the Woods" on Broadway could surely fill in the gap.
Adjacent to H.E.R's Belle is Josh Groban's Beast. It is not known yet if Groban would sport a beast mask, but regardless if he would or not, the casting was on point and quite a full circle moment for the singer as he wrote the song "Evermore" in the 2017 live-action movie adaptation of the same story.
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All of the recent news for the "Beauty and the Beast" 30th Anniversary Special was announced at Disney's D23 Expo.
Meanwhile, "Wicked," "In The Heights," and "Crazy Rich Asians" director Jon M. Chu will be directing the live special.
"With world-class creatives and talent to reinterpret the classic musical numbers (with a few surprises), I can't wait for the audiences, in person and at home, to experience what we have in store for them. It's a true celebration of creativity," Chu said in an interview about "Beauty and the Beast" 30th Anniversary Special.
Last July, H.E.R is cast as Belle, making her the first Black-Filipina Belle in the story's history.
The "Beauty and the Beast" 30th Anniversary Special will be aired on ABC and shall be made available on Disney Plus on December 16.
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