It's not always happily ever after, as Disney has opted to not move forward at the moment with the Beauty and the Beast prequel series for Disney+, per Deadline. The series, if made, will star Luke Evans and Josh Gad in their respective roles of Gaston and LeFou from the 2017 remake. This news is rather shocking given that production was ramping up to begin in Europe, not to mention the announcements of several recent casting additions.
Per Deadline's report, the decision to not move forward currently is a creative one, with the scripts and original music not materializing in time to line up with the production schedule. Both Gad and Evans are also high profile, in-demand talents, and a further delay of the filming schedule couldn't be accommodated. The series also was set to bring in new cast members, including Fra Fee (Hawkeye), Briana Middleton (The Tender Bar), Rita Ora (Detective Pikachu), and Broadway star Jellani Alladin.
This is not necessarily a 'tale as old as time' for Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz. Their fantasy anthology series, Epic, was canned by ABC last year. The duo is widely known for their work on Once Upon a Time, though they also worked on fan-favorite shows like Lost and Felicity. They were set to write and develop the series, in addition to serving as co-showrunners and executive producers. Tony Award winner Liesl Tommy was set to direct the first episode, while Disney mainstays Alan Menken and Glenn Slater were on board for the soundtrack and lyrics, respectively.
The brief details known about the show, which Disney does hope to still make, are as follows:
"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 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."
Stay tuned to Collider for the latest updates on this possible Disney+ series.