Slash Film and Indie Wire, plus a heap of other movie news sites, are reporting that Emma has snagged the lead role in an upcoming reinvisioning of “Beauty and the Beast”. The movie is currently being developed and produced by Guillermo del Toro of “Pan’s Labyrinth” fame. Emma has previously expressed that del Toro is one of her favourite directors to ‘Interview’ magazine in April 2009. Thank you to Josh for the tip.

Edit! ProductionWeekly.com are reporting that Emma has been confirmed for the lead role in “Beauty”. Guillermo Del Toro will direct the piece and Denise Di Novi is producing; it will be distributed by Warner Bros. and will be a retelling of the original “Beauty and the Beast” story. Emma nor her representatives have confirmed or denied Emma’s involvement.

Edit! At a press Q&A at Comic-Con 2011, ET!Canada Tweeted that del Toro confirmed that Emma was “in talks” for his “Beauty and the Beast” adaptation.

As for Beauty and the Beast, the fact of the film being developed is all we’ve got right now. While we don’t know the identity of the screenwriter, or indeed if anyone has written a script at this point, the fact of Guillermo del Toro’s involvement suggests that this will be a darker version than most. Perhaps something closer to the Jean Cocteau version, which has already influenced a legion of filmmakers? And with Harry Potter closed, Emma Watson is sure to be in demand, so there is serious incentive to lock up her participation and get the project moving forward now. We could very likely hear more about this later in the week from Comic Con. Read more at the source.

Undoubtedly, the new project will be a much more Del Toro-y take on the material than ever before, perhaps skewing for an older audience as Hermione is now all growns up and probably looking to try some edgier roles on for size. She’s already got two decidedly non-special effects heavy, non-franchise movies on the way with a role in “My Week With Marilyn” which hits this fall and she heads up the adaptation of “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” which will land sometime next year. Read more at the source.

The first handful of high resolution images that will be used to promote Emma’s final People Tree line have appeared online. The line was shot once more by one of Emma’s favoured photographers, Andrea Carter-Bowman, and features not only Emma but other actors and models who have affiliated themselves with the People Tree image. This is Emma’s third and final line with People Tree.

Emma’s official site has also been updated with photos, news and quotes from the line launch, with new additions to the Projects Page, Slideshow and Video. Emma also released a statement, via her official site, about the line and her design process; Safia, the head honcho of People Tree, has also released a small statement about Emma and her work ethics. Two videos from the photoshoot have also been added and can be seen below.

“I designed the collection last year after I’d started university in the US,” Emma revealed. “Safia, People Tree’s founder, and Misato, People Tree’s designer, came out to work with me in Rhode Island. Together we decided on all the colours, fabrics, shapes and craft skills. Most of all, we took care to design a really wearable collection that truly celebrates the traditional skills of People Tree’s fair trade groups around the world.”

“I was amazed at how many hours Emma put into this collection. We’d often go to her home in the evening after she finished filming to go through ideas, or she’d come to the studio laden with her own artwork – it was extremely impressive.”

News, images and videos thanks to EmmaWatson.com, SnitchSeeker and Emma-Watson.net. Phew!

Hello all! Just a few tidbits to round-up from this week in news; we’ve got: news bits, gallery updates, lists, polls, colourful unicorns and best of all – lots of Emma goodness! Many thanks to the fans who have emailed us these bits of news, it really does make our job easier having all these segments magically appear in our inbox!

• First up – gallery updates! New photos from various Emma-related projects have appeared and were added into the galleries. Some of the gallery updates include: two new promotional stills from “Deathly Hallows: Part 1″ – unfortunately in medium quality, but pretty nonetheless; a new promotional image from Emma’s first collaboration with People Tree; a newly released Martin Schoeller (with some bizarre photoshopping) photoshoot image; the official DVD and Blu-Ray covers for “Deathly Hallows: Part 1″ in high quality; some new photoshoot stills from DH:2 (thanks to Oclumencia); and a high quality shot from the Harry Crowder photoshoot we reported about some weeks ago (thanks to the awesome Emma-Watson.net).

• The Harry Potter Facebook Page has released another quote from their long-running Potter fan-question, this time from Tom Felton. A few months back they asked Facebook users to submit questions to ask to Potter stars – mainly Gryffindors, but Tom snuck in – and they have been progressively releasing answers since the film was released in November. The quote is not directly Emma-related, we can only infer that Emma is one of the “great friends” he has made during the course of filming.

What will you miss after all these years of filming Harry Potter?
The people – I will miss seeing everyone on a day-to-day basis. I’ve made some great friends over the years.

• iVillage are running a little poll asking their visitors to vote on which movie franchise they wish would never end; “Harry Potter” is pitted against the likes of “Sex and the City”, “Toy Story” and, inevitably, “Twilight”. If you have some time on your hands and really, really, really, really feel like partaking in an online poll, click here.

• And there seems to be another unofficial People Tree video floating around the interwebs – this video is most likely leaked and should not be posted until People Tree decides to release it. A reminder that new photos (and assumedly, media) from Emma’s final line with People Tree will be released on February 25th.

The very first look at Emma’s final line with People Tree was released earlier today by People Tree. The spring collection, Emma’s third collaboration with People Tree, is set to be completely released at the end of February on February 28th, but People Tree have promised more photos will be released around February 25th. A quote from Emma and a swanky new image for the line has been released (image photograhed by Andrea Carter-Bowman).

“I designed the collection last year after I’d started university in the US. Safia, People Tree’s founder, and Misato, People Tree’s designer, came out to work with me in Rhode Island.

Together we decided on all the colours, fabrics, shapes and craft skills. Most of all, we took care to design a really wearable collection that truly celebrates the traditional skills of People Tree’s Fair Trade groups around the world.” Source

Preview pieces from the spring line have been released and can be viewed online; the line features staple clothing pieces – blazers, trousers, dresses – in block colours as well as some fun t-shirts.

Oclumencia have managed to get their hands on the very first promotional still for the second (and final!) part of the epic “Harry Potter” movie saga. The image shows Harry, Hermione and Ron looking on anxious and terrified at some unknown entity. The photo can be seen here in the photo galleries.

In the same DH:2-news-vein a few promotional shots featuring Hermione with her copy of ‘The Tales of Beedle the Bard’ have also been released thanks to yourowndestiny @ tumblr. They have a little tag on them (by the tumblr user) and can also be seen in the galleries. I’m sure the Potter-fandom will be on the lookout for more photos so don’t you worry about that!

In other-movie related news that perpetual “Perks of Being a Wallflower” rumour has popped up once more with Summit Entertainment picking up the production rights and naming Emma as the star. The article is up at Huffington Post who broke the news earlier this morning.

To clarify: no Emma has not confirmed that she’s attached; yes writer-director Stephen Chbosky apparently confirmed Emma for the role of Sam; yes Emma’s reps, via @SnitchSeeker, have denied Emma having “projects in the pipeline at present”; and yes this is very confusing.

New York Magazine reports that Summit Entertainment, best known for its ‘Twilight’ mega-franchise, is teaming up with another teen idol to bring the film into production. They’re in negotiations with the film’s backers, New York reports; the book’s author, Stephen Chbosky, is slated to direct the film. Read more?

Along with her committments to People Tree, Emma has revealed that she has collaborated with fashion designer, Alberta Ferretti, to release an organic clothing line inspired by the “classic, 60s Jane Birkin”. Emma also revealed that more about the project would be coming soon but confirmed that the line would be available after Christmas. She also commented that she would “work for anyone for free if they are prepared to make their clothing fair trade organic”. We’ll keep you guys updated on any new information that crops up relating to this line!

In other (slightly unrelated news) we’ve added couple of afterparty photos into the galleries. Emma changed from her custom vintage frock into a suave coat and pant ensemble. Photos can be viewed here.

In addition to attending Brown University and promoting the film, Watson, 20, has collaborated with designer Alberta Ferretti to create a clothing line. “We are doing an organic clothing range,” Watson told UsMagazine.com on Friday in London. “I can’t reveal the name yet but there will be more information about it soon.”

So, should fans expect cloaks and pointed hats a la Hogwarts wear? Not likely. Instead, her inspiration is English actress (and Hermes bag namesake) Jane Birkin. “Very classic, 60s Jane Birkin,” she told Us.

Ferretti first contacted Watson after learning about the actress’s People Tree organic clothing line. “She wrote to me and said, ‘I saw what you did with People Tree and I think it’s a great idea and will you do something with me?’” Watson said. Read more …

After years of portraying three of fiction’s most notable characters, Emma, Dan and Rupert have signed up with the American Library Association on their READ Campaign. These photos are, hopefully, just the first set of a series of portraits featuring the Trio which will be used to urge youngsters in America to pick up a book and read! Each trio member is holding onto a different book: Emma has Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet”.

A small and unfortunately tagged photo from the campaign has been added into our galleries. We’ve managed to snag a clear, untagged version! Check it out below or follow the links for more!

In celebration of the Harry Potter phenomenon readers Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, and Emma Watson join the READ campaign.

For more than a decade, J.K. Rowling has captivated imaginations and inspired a generation of new readers with the Harry Potter series. Soon after learning at the age of eleven that he is a wizard, Harry Potter attends Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Here, he meets his best friends, Ron and Hermione, Headmaster Albus Dumbledore, and a cast of eclectic teachers. While Harry, Ron and Hermione navigate the joys and hardships of growing up, their adventures in the wizarding world become darker and more dangerous.

On November 19th, the final installment in the series, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, comes to the screen in the first of two parts. As the three friends race to find the Horcruxes that are the secret to Lord Voldemort’s power and immortality, the Dark Lord’s Death Eaters wreak havoc on the wizarding world. As the war wages, Harry Potter draws closer to the task for which he has been preparing since he became “the boy who lived”: the ultimate battle with Voldemort. Source