Disney has an Oscar and Grammy Award winner as its next Belle of the ball.
Singer/songwriter and musician H.E.R. has been tapped to star in the leading role of the upcoming ABC animated and live-action special “Beauty and the Beast: A 30th Celebration.”
“I can’t believe I get to be a part of the Beauty and the Beast legacy. The world will see a Black and Filipino Belle!” H.E.R., whose given name is Gabriella Sarmiento Wilson said in a statement Thursday. “I have always wanted to be a Disney princess, and I get to work with two wonderful directors Hamish Hamilton and my favorite, Jon M. Chu. It is very surreal and I couldn’t be more grateful.”
The five-time Grammy and Academy Award-winning Vallejo, California, native is set to make her feature film debut in the Scott Sanders-produced film adaptation of “The Color Purple’' Broadway musical, which recently wrapped in rural Georgia. Fantasia, Danielle Brooks, Colman Domingo, Taraji P. Henson, Ciara, and Jon Batiste also star in the Blitz Bazawule-directed film based on Alice Walker’s Pulitzer Prize winning novel.
This year marks the 30th anniversary of when “Beauty and the Beast” became the first animated film to be nominated for the best picture Oscar.
The Chinami Namba and Masakazu Higuchi-helmed musical went on to win the Golden Globe Award for best motion picture-musical or comedy, while the theme song “Beauty and the Beast” won the Oscar for best original song in 1992.
According to the original announcement, the two-hour special — set to air Dec. 15 on ABC and on Disney+ the next day — will include “brand-new sets and breathtaking costumes inspired by the classic story,” with every performance designed to “pay homage while also adding to the iconic story.”
“With her obvious extraordinary talent and stage presence, H.E.R. is the perfect embodiment of our Belle and we are thrilled for audiences to see her in this celebration of creativity,” Chu said of the 25-year-old RCA Records artist. “We were both influenced as storytellers by the original animated movie, so it’s very exciting to collaborate together to honor the artistry of that timeless classic while also inspiring a whole new generation of creators.”
Chu’s previous credits as a filmmaker include 2018′s “Crazy Rich Asians” and last year’s “In The Heights.”
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