H.E.R. is set to star as Belle in Disney’s forthcoming TV special Beauty and the Beast: A 30th Celebration.
“I can't believe I get to be a part of the Beauty and the Beast legacy,” the 25-year-old singer-songwriter said, in a release. “The world will see a Black and Filipino Belle!
“I have always wanted to be a Disney princess … It is very surreal, and I couldn't be more grateful.”
The TV special, celebrating 30 years since Disney's 1991 adaptation became the first animated film to be nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars, will be directed by Hamish Hamilton. It will blend live-action and animation and feature new musical performances as well as sets and costumes inspired by the movie.
Producer Jon M. Chu said, in a release: “With her obvious extraordinary talent and stage presence, H.E.R. is the perfect embodiment of our Belle, and we are thrilled for audiences to see her in this celebration of creativity.”
H.E.R., who has won five Grammy Awards and an Oscar for Best Song, also stars in the forthcoming movie musical The Color Purple along with music stars like Ciara, Halle Bailey and Jon Batiste.
Beauty and the Beast: A 30th Celebration will be taped in front of an audience and will air on Dec. 15.