Beauty and the Beast prequel series reuniting Josh Gad, Luke Evans
Before there was Belle and the Beast, there were LeFou and Gaston.
Josh Gad and Luke Evans, who starred as these two pals in Disney's live-action Beauty and the Beast, are reuniting for a limited series for Disney+, EW has learned. From Once Upon a Time creators Eddy Kitsis and Adam Horowitz now comes a six-episode musical event for the streaming platform that takes place long before the events of the movie.
Composer Alan Menken, who returned to write music for the film, is also in talks to join these merry men once again. Gad, Kitsis, and Horowitz will showrun the series, which is in the early stages of development and will expand the world of Beauty and the Beast.
In the live-action film, which hit theaters in March 2017, the narcissistic, toxically masculine Gaston (Evans) schemes for the hand of Belle (Emma Watson), on par with the original animated film. But LeFou (Gad) was meant to be a gay man grappling with his attraction and friendship with Gaston. The inclusion — or the "exclusively gay moment" as it was once inadvertently coined by director Bill Condon — caused a stir among conservatives and in countries like Russia, which has strict laws against the LGBTQ community. It also sparked criticism from the queer audiences, as the scene in question amounted to a seconds-long moment at the end. Dan Stevens also starred as the Beast.
None of the other cast members in the film are attached to the series, but there is a possibility for cameos.
Evans, Gad, Kitsis, and Horowitz will executive produce, while Gad, Kitsis, and Horowitz write the scripts. ABC Signature Studios is also on board as the studio for the project.
The Hollywood Reporter was the first to report the news.
When it comes to Disney's live-action fairy tale properties, the company is also developing a sequel to 2019's Aladdin for theaters and a spin-off centered on Billy Magnussen's Prince Anders for Disney+. Gad is also starring in a Honey, I Shrunk the Kids movie with Rick Moranis for the Mouse House called Shrunk.
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