Amongst the slew of titles announced by the Mouse House for its Disney+ streaming service, a prequel to Beauty and the Beast was one of the very first to emerge from the Magic Kingdom. Now it has officially been given the green light for an eight-episode series starring Josh Gad, Luke Evans, and new addition to the cast, Brianna Middleton.
According to Deadline Josh Gad and Luke Evans will reprise their roles as Gaston and LeFou from Disney’s live-action billion dollar grossing Beauty and the Beast, and they will be joined by The Tender Bar’s Brianna Middleton as as LeFou’s stepsister, Lilly.
Developed and written by Josh Gad and Once Upon a Time creators Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz, the prequel series will be set years before the Beast and Belle’s epic romance, and will follow Gaston (Evans) and LeFou (Gad) as they set off with LeFou’s step-sister, Tilly (Middleton), after a surprising revelation from her past comes to light, sending the unlikely trio off on an unexpected journey filled with romance, comedy, and adventure. While the mysteries of the past are uncovered and the dangers of the present grow, old friends and new enemies reveal that this familiar kingdom harbors many secrets.
Jessica Jones and The Walking Dead director Liesl Tommy will helm the first episode, while Alan Menken, who wrote the score for both the 1991 animated classic and the 2017 cut and paste movie will write the soundtrack for the series.
Gary Marsh, president and chief creative officer for Disney Branded Television added that “For anyone who’s ever wondered how a brute like Gaston and a goof like LeFou could have ever become friends and partners, or how a mystical enchantress came to cast that fateful spell on the prince-turned-beast, this series will finally provide those answers…and provoke a whole new set of questions”.
Are they questions that you want answering? Are you excited about a return to the live-action world of Beauty and the Beast? Let us know by heading to our social channels @FlickeringMyth…
