It has been rumored since the Deathly Hallows 2 premieres that Emma Watson would be starring as Belle in Guillermo del Toro’s Beauty and the Beast. MTV has posted a new interview with del Toro which confirms that it is in the works. Of Emma being in the role he has this to say:

Del Toro didn’t have a timeline yet for when his first draft on “Beauty and the Beast” would be done, but he said it should be within the next few years. After all, he’d need it to be done by then for leading lady Watson to still be a prime choice for the role of the titular beauty.

“It’s a movie that you have to make in the next few years for Emma to be perfect for the part,” he said. “I think she is the perfect character to do that movie.”

Instead of a modernized take like this year’s “Beastly,” consider del Toro’s movie to be a classic retelling of the tale as old as time. He confirmed that his version will take place in the same period setting as the fairy tale.

You can watch the interview below: