Disney+ greenlights Beauty and the Beast prequel series starring Josh Gad and Luke Evans

TVLine

The eight-episode limited musical series, first announced in March 2020, will serve as a prequel to the 2017 live-action Beauty and the Beast film. Evans and Gad will reprise their respective roles as Gaston and LeFou. They'll be joined by newcomer Briana Middleton as LeFou's stepsister Tilly "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,” according to the show’s official logline. “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.” But according to TVLine, the most interesting part of Disney's Beauty in the Beast announcement is the following statement from Gary Marsh, president and chief creative officer of Disney Branded Television: “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.” Gad co-created the Beauty and the Beast prequel series with Once Upon a Time creators Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz. All three will serve as co-showrunners. Production on Beauty and the Beast is scheduled to begin in spring 2022.