In compounding proof that there is truly no series that Disney won’t exploit for more content, today Disney+ announced the greenlight of “Beauty and the Beast” (working title), a limited musical series set before the 2017 live-action film. The eight-episode prequel will star Luke Evans (“The Alienist”) and House of Mouse favorite Josh Gad (“Frozen 2”), reprising their roles as Gaston and LeFou (Louie), and introduce Briana Middleton (“The Tender Bar”) as Louie’s stepsister, Tilly.
The series will follow Gaston and LeFou as they set off with Tilly after a revelation from her past comes to light, sending the trio off on a journey across the kingdom to untangle mysteries of the past and dangers of the present. The series’ creative team also includes Tony Award-nominated director Liesl Tommy (“Eclipsed,” “Respect”), who will executive produce and direct the first episode. Gad, Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz (known for their work together on “Lost” and “Once Upon a Time”) are co-showrunners and writers for the limited series.
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The project will also feature an original soundtrack from EGOT club member Alan Menken, who won an Oscar for his work on the original “Beauty and the Beast,” which landed in the midst of a legendary run of scores and songs during the ‘Disney Renaissance era of the studio’s animated films. Lyrics for the first episode will be by Oscar-nominee Glenn Slater (“Tangled”). Production on the series, which we still are uncertain anyone even asked for, will begin in spring 2022.
