It seems that the Beauty and the Beast prequel series that was in development for Disney+ has been shelved, mere months before it was supposed to start shooting in the U.K.
According to Deadline, the call was made not to proceed with Beauty and the Beast prequel series due to creative reasons. The scripts for the series weren’t coming together in the way the creative team were hoping and creation of the series’ original music was also falling behind. As a result of these delays, the shoot had already been pushed once before but another push wasn’t an option due to “talent availability and weather concerns” so Disney made the choice to put the project on hold.
The series would have found Luke Evans and Josh Gad reprising their roles as Gaston and LeFou and would have been set years before the events of the movie. The Beauty and the Beast prequel was set to follow 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.
In addition to Luke Evans and Josh God, the Beauty and the Beast prequel series was also set to star Brian Middleton, Fra Fee, and Jelani Alladin. The series was developed and written by Josh Gad and Edward Kitsis & Adam Horowitz, with all three serving as executive producers and showrunners. Liesl Tommy had been tapped to direct the first episode with EGOT Award-winning composer Alan Menken, who scored both the animated and live-action versions of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, was also onboard to write the soundtrack. Assuming things are able to get back on track creatively, it’s possible the prequel series could be resurrected somewhere down the road.