Following up on a successful run as Lana Lang on Smallville, Kristin Kreuk returns to TV in a re-imagining of the 1980's series Beauty and the Beast.  I was in Ballroom 20 and got an eyeful of the pilot episode and the skinny.  The show stars Kreuk, Jay Ryan, Max Brown, Nina Lisandrello, Nicole Anderson, Austin Basis, and Brian J. White.  Beauty and the Beast premieres on The CW on October 11th.  Hit the jump for my full recap of the panel.

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Nearly ten years ago, Catherine Chandler's mother was murdered in front of her and she only escaped death because of the intervention of a shadowy figure.  In present day New York City, Catherine works as a Special Crimes Unit detective.  Her continuing guilt over her mother's death winds up putting both her and her beastly savior's lives at risk in her continuing pursuit of the truth.

One striking difference to the previous incarnation is that Jay Ryan's Beast, still named Vincent, spends some time looking rather human, though with a very noticeable scar.  Also, Vincent's origins are spelled out through the device of a military experiment.  Though when asked if there were other survivors, they said the focus is on Vincent.  Ryan thinks it's be cool to have a female beast as well and noted that there was one taking part in the on-screen military segment.

While there are definite changes to the series, they promise to keep the romance alive.  Episodes have three major forces guiding them: romance, the mythology and the romance.

  • Follow the writers of the series on Twitter -- @BATBWriters
  • There were two competing Beauty and the Beast projects, both seeking Kreuk, but the creators of the CW Pilot won her over... with cupcakes.  Ryan is still waiting on his cupcakes.
  • They are still tweaking the design of the Beast, even with some makeup tests yesterday.
  • Kreuk said a major difference between Catherine and Lana is that Catherine is more emotionally restricted than Lana was.
  • Shooting begins at the end of the month and will continue through December.
  • Series premieres on the CW on October 11th.

To catch up on all of our coverage from Comic-Con 2012, click here.