Emma Watson's Thrilled Dan Stevens Will Play The Beast In 'Beauty And The Beast'

Dan Stevens, mostly known for his role in "Downton Abbey," has been cast as the Beast in Disney's live-action version of "Beauty and the Beast." Emma Watson, who will star as Belle in the new film, was thrilled with the news.

Could not be more happy that this man will be Beast!!! Welcome aboard @thatdanstevens #beautyandthebeast http://ift.tt/1BKv4rF

— Emma Watson (@EmWatson) March 5, 2015

Watson also gave a shoutout to Luke Evans, who was cast on Wednesday as Gaston.

Bonjour Gaston! ❤️ Welcome! #BeautyAndTheBeast http://ift.tt/1G0O586

— Emma Watson (@EmWatson) March 5, 2015

"Beauty and the Beast" continues Disney's trend of remaking an old animated classic into a live-action film: "Cinderella" opens March 13, and last year's "Maleficent" raked it in at the box office, a twist on "Sleeping Beauty," earning more than $700 million worldwide.

Disney has yet to confirm if "Beauty and the Beast" will be a musical, but when Watson announced her casting, she wrote in a Facebook post, "My 6-year-old self is on the ceiling -- heart bursting. Time to start some singing lessons."

We can already tell Stevens, whose credits also include "The Guest" and "A Walk Among the Tombstones," is excited for the gig: