The highly anticipated Beauty and the Beast prequel series has been put “on hold” indefinitely.
Back in 2020, the streaming service revealed that it would be releasing a prequel project to the 2017 live-action movie.
The eight-episode limited musical series will see Luke Evans and Josh Gad reprise their memorable roles as Gaston and LeFou with newcomer Briana Middleton as the latter’s stepsister, Tilly.
Last month, series star Josh Gad updated fans on the show’s production and announced that filming would start later this year.
“We’re still planning on shooting this spring and the scripts are incredible, the music is unbelievable, all-new songs by Alan Menken, we’re casting now,” he said
Unfortunatly, it looks like fans will have to wait a bit longer to return to the Beauty and the Beast universe.
According to a report from Deadline, an unnamed source revealed that the show has come to a halt due to “creative reasons.”
They went on to say that the “scripts and original music” were not coming together in the “direction expected or running behind schedule.”
The project was initially planned to film in the UK this spring but was ultimately moved to the summer.
The source also revealed that pushing production to the fall was not an option due to “talent availability and weather concerns.”
Shortly after the report, Gad and Evans took to Twitter to confirm the news.
https://t.co/GseTTsggPj
Sadly, ‘Tis true. We tried to make it all work but under the gun it wasn’t meant to be… for now. These characters and this story will live on, but sometimes the best intentions & reality collide & nothing can be done.— Josh Gad (@joshgad) February 10, 2022
This is a very sad message for us to tweet. We are devastated. Goodbye, for now, from Gaston and Le fou ❤️
— Luke Evans (@TheRealLukevans) February 10, 2022
“Sadly, ‘Tis true. We tried to make it all work but under the gun it wasn’t meant to be… for now,” Gad tweeted.
“These characters and this story will live on, but sometimes the best intentions & reality collide & nothing can be done.”
Evans added: “This is a very sad message for us to tweet. We are devastated. Goodbye, for now, from Gaston and LeFou.”
While the Disney+ series isn’t cancelled, it’s unknown if the current creatives, Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz, will stay attached.
Tentatively titled Little Town, the series is set before the events of the beloved movie and will follow Gaston and LeFou as they embark on an adventure with Tilly after “a surprising revelation from her past comes to light”.
According to a synopsis, this sends “the unlikely trio off on an unexpected journey filled with romance, comedy, and adventure,” while “mysteries of the past are uncovered and the dangers of the present grow, old friends and new enemies reveal that this familiar kingdom harbours many secrets.”
EGOT winner and composer of the 1991 original film and the live-action release, Alan Menken, was set to write the soundtrack – while Oscar-nominee Glenn Slater was tapped to write the lyrics for the first episode.
Latest
