Josh Gad, the man who voiced the adorable Olaf in the all-time favorite Disney movie "Frozen" is set to be in another Disney film. However, this time, he will not be just be voicing his character. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Gad is the latest addition to the cast of the upcoming live-action movie of the 1991 animated classic "Beauty and the Beast."
Gad will be will play the role of Le Fou, Gaston's loyal sidekick. He will be joining a cast that includes "Harry Potter" star Emma Watson as Belle, "Downton Abbey" actor Dan Stevens as the Beast or Prince, and "The Hobbit" actor Luke Evans as the villain Gaston.
Gad also confirmed the reports, tweeting a photo of himself dancing on the dance floor with Le Fou showing a similar pose on the left side. Check out the photo here:
Aside from lending his voice to the beloved snowman in "Frozen," Gad is also known for the TV series "1600 Penn" and for the Broadway musical "The Book of Mormon," notes AV Club. He is also in the new "Frozen Fever" short film.
"Beauty and the Beast" is directed by Bill Condon and is produced by David Hoberman and Todd Lieberman. The script is attributed to Stephen Chbosky, known for the book "The Perks of Being a Wallflower." The previous draft for the screenplay is said to be written by Evan Spiliotopoulos.
Meanwhile, E! Online, (citing an interview with Total Film magazine) reported that lead actress Emma Watson is somewhat "terrified" of her new role.
"I sing, so that's really unexpected...I've never had to do that for a film before, and I think people will be interested to see me do something very different like that...It gives me a different challenge, really. That's terrifying in and of itself!," the 24-year old actress was quoted in the report saying.
Watson earlier announced on Facebook that she would indeed play the lead role in the upcoming live-action movie. The actress also revealed that the fairy tale was part of her childhood and that she would really prepare for the role by taking some singing lessons. Here is her statement:
"I'm finally able to tell you... that I will be playing Belle in Disney's new live-action Beauty and the Beast! It was such a big part of my growing up, it almost feels surreal that I'll get to dance to 'Be Our Guest' and sing 'Something There'. My six year old self is on the ceiling - heart bursting. Time to start some singing lessons. I can't wait for you to see it. Emma xx."
No definite release date has been set for the movie.