Ian McKellan to Voice Cogsworth in Live Action 'Beauty and the Beast'
Walt Disney Pictures announced their Cogsworth character's voice for the live action recreation of "Beauty and the Beast" in the person of Sir Ian McKellan.
"The Hobbit" wizard and chief "X-Men" mutant villain, Ian McKellen has just signed on to be the voice of Cogsworth for the live action retelling of the fantasy film "Beauty and the Beast."
Cogsworth, who was introduced to audiences in Disney's 1991 fairy tale classic, is a character best known as Beast's butler turned into a talking clock by a witch's curse. McKellen, 75, who is famous for his role as the villain Magneto in the "X-Men" and the wizard Gandalf in "The Lord of the Rings" film franchises, will lend his distinctive voice to Cogsworth when production begins later this year.
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The film follows Kenneth Branagh's live-action remake of classic animated fairy tale, Cinderella starring Lily James, which debuted in March this year to positive reviews, earning over $400 million for Disney.
The studio is looking to continue capitalizing on the audience impact of the live-action trend with "Beauty and the Beast," with Disney already having cashed in on the success of "Alice in Wonderland" and "Maleficent" in the previous years.
"Beauty and the Beast" has already roped in big name stars like Emma Watson As Belle, Luke Evans as Gaston, Emma Thompson as Mrs. Potts, Kevin Kline as Maurice, and now McKellen as the voice of Cogsworth.
Disney will be following "Beauty and the Beast" with a live remake of the 1940 classic, "Pinocchio," which is reportedly under development, while "Book of Life" director Guillermo del Toro is said to be developing another darker version of the puppet whose greatest wish is to become a real boy.
Live action films for "The Jungle Book," "Dumbo," and "Mulan" are also reported to be in the works.
"Beauty and Beast" also stars Dan Stevens and Prince Adam/Beast and will be directed by Bill Condon for a March 17, 2017 release.
