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Beauty and the Beast Prequel Series Not Moving Forward at Disney+

Published Thu, 10 Feb 2022 16:28:10 -0600

Looks like Time has won out over this tale (at least for now), with reports surfacing earlier today that Disney+ will not be moving forward with its eight-episode limited musical series Beauty and the Best (working title) that would've seen Luke Evans and Josh Gad reprising their roles as Gaston and LeFou (Louie) in the series (with Evans producing) with Briana Middleton, Fra Fee, and Jelani Alladin also set to star. Based on reports, the series was shuttered for creative reasons as scripts were "not coming together" in the direction that the series was expected to head and that creating the new music for the series was "running behind schedule." Those elements and others, including filming already being pushed from spring to summer, forced the decision to put the project on hold (though the streamer is interested in revisiting the project). Availability of talent, weather concerns, and other issues prevented the filming from being shifted to the fall.

Set in the iconic kingdom of Beauty and the Beast years before the Beast and Belle's epic romance, the series follows Gaston (Evans) and LeFou (Gad) as they set off with LeFou's stepsister, 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. Developed and written by executive producers and co-showrunners Gad and Edward Kitsis & Adam Horowitz (Once Upon a Time), the series had tapped Tony Award-nominated director Liesl Tommy (Eclipsed) to direct the opening episode and executive produce- with Emmy, Grammy, Oscar & Tony award-winning composer Alan Menken (both "Beauty and the Beasts") set to write the soundtrack and also executive produce, with lyrics for the first episode from Oscar-nominee Glenn Slater (Tangled). Stemming from Disney Branded Television and ABC Signature, the series was expected to begin filming this summer in the UK.

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