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Credit: DisneyThe highly anticipated live-action Beauty and the Beast (2017) prequel series starring Luke Evans (Gaston) and Josh Gad (LeFou) has been put on indefinite hold.
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Disney+ has put its musical prequel spinoff from its 2017 feature film on hold amid delays with creative elements and scheduling challenges with its cast. Sources close to the streamer say the show will eventually be made though it’s unclear if the cast, including film stars Josh Gad and Luke Evans, will be available when (and if) that comes to pass.
Intriguingly, the series just cast a major female lead in U.K. pop star Rita Ora, who happens to be dating Thor franchise director, Taika Waititi.
Related: Disney Theory Places ‘The Little Mermaid’ and‘Beauty and the Beast’ in the Same Timeline
Briana Middleton (The Tender Bar) was also set to play a key role in the cast as LeFou’s stepsister, Tilly.
Evans, for his part, is also involved in Disney’s upcoming live-action adaptation of Walt Disney Animation Studios’ animated classic, Pinocchio. Both the Nine Perfect Strangers star and Gad have expressed excitement about the series, with Gad saying he “can’t wait to get back into the tavern.”
More on Beauty and the Beast (2017)
The official description of the live-action remake of the 1991 animated movie reads:
Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast” is a live-action re-telling of the studio’s animated classic which refashions the classic characters from the tale as old as time for a contemporary audience, staying true to the original music while updating the score with several new songs. “Beauty and the Beast” is the fantastic journey of Belle, a bright, beautiful and independent young woman who is taken prisoner by a beast in his castle. Despite her fears, she befriends the castle’s enchanted staff and learns to look beyond the Beast’s hideous exterior and realize the kind heart and soul of the true Prince within. The film stars: Emma Watson as Belle; Dan Stevens as the Beast; Luke Evans as Gaston, the handsome, but shallow villager who woos Belle; Oscar® winner Kevin Kline as Maurice, Belle’s eccentric, but lovable father; Josh Gad as Lefou, Gaston’s long-suffering aide-de-camp; Golden Globe® nominee Ewan McGregor as Lumiere, the candelabra; Oscar nominee Stanley Tucci as Maestro Cadenza, the harpsichord; Gugu Mbatha-Raw as Plumette, the feather duster; six-time Tony Award® winner Audra McDonald as Madame Garderobe, the wardrobe; Oscar nominee Ian McKellen as Cogsworth, the mantel clock; and two-time Academy Award® winner Emma Thompson as the teapot, Mrs. Potts.
What do you think about the Beauty and the Beast prequel being suspended?