<Tr> <Th> Budget </Th> <Td> $244--255 million </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> Box office </Th> <Td> $1.264 billion </Td> </Tr> <P> Beauty and the Beast is a 2017 American musical romantic fantasy film directed by Bill Condon from a screenplay written by Stephen Chbosky and Evan Spiliotopoulos, and co-produced by Walt Disney Pictures and Mandeville Films . The film is a live - action reimagining of Disney's 1991 animated film of the same name, itself an adaptation of Jeanne - Marie Leprince de Beaumont's 18th - century fairy tale . The film features an ensemble cast that includes Emma Watson and Dan Stevens as the eponymous characters with Luke Evans, Kevin Kline, Josh Gad, Ewan McGregor, Stanley Tucci, Audra McDonald, Gugu Mbatha - Raw, Ian McKellen, and Emma Thompson in supporting roles . </P> <P> Principal photography began at Shepperton Studios in Surrey, United Kingdom on May 18, 2015, and ended on August 21 . With an estimated budget of around $255 million, it is one of the most expensive films ever made . Beauty and the Beast premiered at Spencer House in London on February 23, 2017, and was released in the United States in standard, Disney Digital 3 - D, RealD 3D, IMAX and IMAX 3D formats, along with Dolby Cinema on March 17, 2017 . </P>

Who played the beast in the live-action beauty and the beast