It’s a tale as old as time… sort of.
Beauty and the Beast is getting the sequel treatment at Disney+ with Luke Evans and Josh Gad reprising the roles of Gaston and LeFou — which they initially inhabited in the 2017 live-action film.
Per a statement from Disney+, “Set in the iconic kingdom of Beauty and the Beast years before the Beast and Belle’s romance, the series will follow Gaston and LeFou as they set off with LeFou’s stepsister, Tilly, after a surprising revelation from her past comes to light, sending the trio off on an unexpected journey.
“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 harbours many secrets.”
Taking on the character of Tilly will be relative newcomer Briana Middleton, with the eight-episode prequel marking her first major onscreen role.
2017’s Beauty and the Beast added the innuendo that LeFou was gay, which Gad revealed was his idea. In an interview with Andy Cohen in November 2019, he said, “Here’s what we decided — we decided that LeFou’s happy ending would be to dance with another man.
“It was my pitch, that’s how I really wanted the movie to end. I was so amazed they let us do it.
“That became such a controversial thing, apparently, even though it was only three seconds of screen time. We never put a spotlight on it. We never meant to put a spotlight on it. It became a conflated, weird controversy.”
Teasing the exciting new series, Gary Marsh, president and chief creative officer of Disney Branded Television said in a statement, “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.”
Added Disney+ and ESPN+ president Michael Paull, “For three decades, this tale as old as time has inspired generations of fans around the world.
“We can’t wait to welcome our guests back to the magical and musical world of Beauty and the Beast for an all-new chapter with LeFou, Gaston, and a fantastic new cast of characters.”
The film, which starred Harry Potter‘s Emma Watson as Belle, was a massive commercial success box office success, grossing over $1.2 billion worldwide against a budget of $160 million. Neither Watson nor Dan Stevens who played the Beast are expected to appear in the Disney+ series.
Both Evans and Gad have enjoyed ties to Australia recently with Evans filming Amazon’s Nine Perfect Strangers in the country with Nicole Kidman and Gad due to soon start filming a six-part drama series titled Wolf Like Me with Isla Fisher for streaming service Stan.
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