Martin Short Joins New Disney Live-Action Special
Martin Short is close to joining the cast of Disney's 30th anniversary live-action Beauty and the Beast special as Lumiere.
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Actors Martin Short and Shania Twain are in talks to join the upcoming Disney 30th anniversary special for Beauty and the Beast. According to Variety, sources claim that the Only Murders in the Building actor is close to joining Beauty and the Beast and that he would star as the charming Lumiere. The report also notes that Twain would play the teapot housekeeper, Mrs. Potts.
In addition to Martin Short, Beauty and the Beast will star Jumanji actor David Alan Grier. MTV Video Music Awards director Hamish Hamilton is behind the Disney project. The special will reportedly be a mix of live-action and animation.
Martin Short’s appearance in Beauty and the Beast would come after his turn as Oliver Putnam in the Hulu comedy Only Murders in the Building. The series also stars legendary comic actor Steve Martin and Selena Gomez. Short and Martin were nominated at the Emmys for their work on the series.
The Beauty and the Beast special is shaping up to have quite an impressive cast. Broadway actor Joshua Henry and West Side Story star Rita Moreno are set to appear in the special. The project also has Grammy Award-winning musician H.E.R. as Belle. Martin Short in Beauty and the Beast is the cheery on top of an already delicious sundae.
This wouldn’t be the first time that Martin Short has been involved in an animated project. While Martin Short’s role in Beauty and the Beast may end up being more well known to fans of the animated classic, don’t forget that he also voiced Grandpa Frump in Universal Pictures’ The Adams Family in 2019. He also did a voice in Dreamwork’s Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted.
It’ll be interesting to see how Martin Short’s Lumiere in Beauty and the Beast turns out. Broadway actor and singer Jerry Orbach voiced the character in the classic 1991 animated film. Years later, Star Wars actor Ewan McGregor voiced the character in the 2017 live-action remake.
With Martin Short onboard Beauty and the Beast, who knows what other actors the project will attract next. It was announced at Disney’s 2022 D23 Expo that Grammy-nominated singer Josh Groban would join the cast as Beast. Perhaps even Short’s dance partner on Only Murders in the Building, Steve Martin, could join the special.
The upcoming two-hour ABC special will reportedly include never-before-seen musical performances and costumes designed by Marina Toybina, who previously worked on The Masked Singer. Jon M. Chu will serve as executive producer for the special. The addition of Martin Short in Beauty and the Beast may hopefully bring in viewers from Short’s hit Hulu show.
The mouse house also announced a live-action prequel series to the 2017 remake. The series will star Josh Gadd and Luke Evans. Now that Martin Short has been announced for the Beauty and the Beast special, perhaps he too could star in the upcoming live-action prequel series.
As for now, it’s just great to hear that Martin Short will be in Beauty and the Beast. The 30th-anniversary celebration will air live on December 15th on ABC and be released on Disney+ the following day.
