Ryan Gosling & Emma Thompson For Beauty And The Beast?

Bill Condon's live action adaptation of Beauty and the Beast is sticking to the structure of the Disney animated movie, right down to the same characters and same songs. Emma Watson was the first to be cast, taking the role of Belle. It's actually the second time somebody gave her this role - Guillermo Del Toro was working on a non-musical, non-Disney version and Emma was his pick too. There's been a rumour circulating around Hollywood's tracking boards and private forums that Ryan Gosling has been asked to play The Beast. I know that this started because an agency source referred to Gosling as being a preferred choice for the role, but I don't know that it ever went any further. I'm certainly not holding my breath - some Hemsworth or another seems much more likely. As for Mrs. Potts, the housemaid turned teapot, Condon seems to have his sights set on Emma Thompson. Baz Bamigboye says that she's now negotiating to take the role. I'd imagine this will require her to sing in a cockney accent, which is something she most definitely can do, and most likely will do in her upcoming 'concert performances' of Sweeney Todd. For most of the story, Mrs. Potts is a teapot, not a person. I'd be amused if Condon gets Thompson to motion capture this, dressing up in a giant teapot suit covered in ping pong balls and hopping about all over the place. Shame it will never happen - that could have been one of the funniest DVD supplements of all.