'Beauty and the Beast' release date news, spoilers: Luke Evans says Gaston gets 'dark'

When the live-action remake of the 1991 classic animated film "Beauty and the Beast" was first announced, many fans found themselves wondering if it was necessary and how it would stack up against the original.

Angela Lansbury, the iconic actress who voiced the singing teapot Mrs. Potts in the 1991 film, is one of those people. In September, Lansbury attended and performed at the 25th anniversary screening of "Beauty and the Beast" at the Film Society of Lincoln Center, where she spoke to Entertainment Weekly about the upcoming remake.

According to the actress, who called "Beauty and the Beast" a "legendary treasure," she was a bit taken aback by the news that Disney is producing a live-action version of the film. "I thought, 'Why? Why are we doing this over again?'"

But, she said, it will be "interesting" to see what the filmmakers do with the remake. Lansbury also said that Emma Thompson, who plays Mrs. Potts in the film, is a very good friend of hers.

When asked if she feels strange about other actors taking over the roles in "Beauty and the Beast," the "Bedknobs and Broomsticks" star answered, "I can't understand what they're going to do with it that will be better than what we've already done."

"I don't blame them for doing it," she clarified. "But, I'm sorry, they're not really on our territory. We did it as cartoon characters, and that is quite different from live actors," she added.

Meanwhile, new photos from the upcoming "Beauty and the Beast" live-action adaptation have been released and one of them shows Gaston (Luke Evans) trying to woo Belle (Emma Watson) in the town square. In the latest issue of Empire, Evans spoke about his villainous character who, in the upcoming film, is an ex-soldier.

"He gets as dark as any Disney character could possibly get," the actor said. "This is a man who, for the first time in his life, hasn't got what he wanted," he added.

"Beauty and the Beast" hits theaters March 17.