Ewan McGregor is in final talks to join the star-studded cast of Disney's Beauty and the Beast remake, playing Lumiere in what The Hollywood Reporter calls a "major supporting role." In the original animated version of Beauty and the Beast, Lumiere was a maître d' who was turned into a candelabra when a curse fell over the prince's castle. The character appears in several of the musical numbers, and has a substantial solo in the classic "Be Our Guest" song.

The actor joins a cast that already includes Emma Watson (Belle), Luke Evans (Gaston), Dan Stevens (The Beast), Emma Thompson (Mrs. Potts), Josh Gad (Le Fou), Kevin Kline (Maurice), Ian McKellen (Cogsworth), Gugu Mbatha-Raw (Plumette) and Audra McDonald (Garderobe). The live action musical will feature contemporary recordings of the original songs by Alan Menken, who is also writing new songs for the adaptation with Tim Rice. Production is scheduled to begin next month at Shepperton Studios in London.

Bill Condon is directing from a screenplay by Stephen Chbosky, which was originally written by Evan Spiliotopoulos. Ewan McGregor is no stranger to the musical genre, having starred in Moulin Rouge, where he sang a number of different songs. He most recently starred in Mortdecai, and the actor will next be seen in the Western Jane Got a Gun.