Exclusive new Beauty and the Beast images hint at the Beast's backstory

The new issue of Total Film magazine features an exclusive look at Disney’s live-action remake of Beauty and the Beast, and we’ve got our hands on four new images for you to feast your eyes on before anyone else. 

The record-breaking trailers have thus far hinted at a very faithful reimagining, and if the recent TV spot is anything to go by, all the musical numbers are going to be present and correct also. Emma Watson’s rendition of Belle’s classic tune is currently playing on a loop in my head...

The first two images offer a glimpse at the titular Beast’s home life (presumably in the west wing of his decrepit castle), as Emma Watson’s Belle is shown around what looks like a crib room. Is this where the former prince spent his childhood? Rather than a shot-for-shot remake, prepare yourself for some subtle embellishments, a la the recent Jungle Book remake.

Although, the Beast himself, Dan Stevens, holds the original in as much nostalgic regard as the rest of us. "The animated movie came out when I was a kid," he says. "It was really great. I think every generation has its own telling of this. It captures a lot of imaginations at once. It certainly captured mine."

And beyond that, two more images show Luke Evans’ pompous, preening Gaston doing what he does best: inciting an angry mob of villagers against the Beast in scenes hugely reminiscent of the original.

"We didn’t tone [Gaston] down," Evans confirms. "I think we did the opposite. Everything he does, he does extreme. There was no point trying to find a way to tone it down."

Directed by Bill Condon and starring Emma Watson, Dan Stevens, Luke Evans, and Ewan McGregor, Beauty and the Beast hits cinemas on March 17, 2017. 

For more Beauty and the Beast interviews, plus loads more movie features and reviews, pick up the new issue of Total Film magazine - on sale January 17.

Matt Maytum
Editor, Total Film

I'm the Editor at Total Film magazine, overseeing the running of the mag, and generally obsessing over all things Nolan, Kubrick and Pixar. Over the past decade I've worked in various roles for TF online and in print, including at GamesRadar+, and you can often hear me nattering on the Inside Total Film podcast. Bucket-list-ticking career highlights have included reporting from the set of Tenet and Avengers: Infinity War, as well as covering Comic-Con, TIFF and the Sundance Film Festival.

Latest in Movies
Colin Farrell wins Golden Globe for The Penguin
Penguin actor Colin Farrell could be going from villain to hero as the star of DC's Sgt. Rock movie
Robert De Niro and Debra Messing in The Alto Knights
Robert De Niro talks embodying his "mythological" gangsters in The Alto Knights, whose real conflict inspired The Godfather
Mortal Kombat
Mortal Kombat 2 director teases the return of characters that were killed in the first movie: "There are ways to bring dead characters back"
The Boys
The first look at Karl Urban's Johnny Cage in Mortal Kombat 2 is here – and he's already a hit in early screenings
Sadie Sink as Max Mayfield in Stranger Things 4
Sadie Sink addresses Marvel casting rumors after Jean Grey and Spider-Man 4 reports
Robert De Niro in The Alto Knights
Robert De Niro talks playing dual roles in his new gangster movie from the co-writer of Goodfellas and Casino – and his surprising personal connection to the film
Latest in News
Palworld
"We hit this disgusting number that makes me feel sick": Palworld devs don't know why their survival game was so successful - "If we knew how to do it, we'd do it again"
Palworld
Nintendo's Palworld lawsuit "came as a shock" to Pocketpair because patent infringement was "something that no one even considered"
Palworld screenshot showing a young woman with tied-back red hair petting her Pal, a large white and purple Xenogard
Palworld dev reckons "very few companies could survive" a launch like theirs: "A lot of companies might crumble under the threats, under the pressure, under the negativity"
I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream
For 30 years, PC gamers have been keeping this cult classic horror game based on a 58-year-old short story to themselves, but next week it's finally coming to consoles
Colin Farrell wins Golden Globe for The Penguin
Penguin actor Colin Farrell could be going from villain to hero as the star of DC's Sgt. Rock movie
A screenshot from No Man's Sky showing someone in a space suit stood amongst futuristic-looking architecture.
No Man's Sky programmer shares the "first 3D world" he co-created at 18 years old, which was "a foundational step for me from there to No Man's Sky"