Disney+ has indefinitely delayed production on its anticipated Beauty and the Beast prequel show. The postponement of the project, which was picked up to series with an eight-episode order in June, was set to start filming this summer in the U.K., Deadline is reporting.
The streaming service’s decision not to proceed with the live-action musical show is attributed to creative reasons, as the scripts and original music weren’t coming together in the direction the company expected. The prequel was also still running behind schedule, after its shoot was initially pushed from early spring to summer. The production wasn’t able to be pushed back, again, into the fall because of talent availability and weather concerns.
Actors Luke Evans and Josh Gad were set to headline the project by reprising their roles as Gaston and LeFou, respectively, from the hit 2017 film. Briana Middleton, Fra Fee and Jelani Alladin were also cast in lead roles on the series. News of the postponement comes just days after Disney+ announced that British singer-actress Rita Ora was set to join the prequel’s cast.
The show was developed and written by Gad and Once Upon a Time creators Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz. The trio was also set to serve as executive producers and co-showrunners on the Beauty and the Beast origin series.
Disney+ intends to continue work on the project, which has been in development for over two years. The streaming service hopes to eventually move forward with the series, but it’s not yet known whether the current creative team will remain involved.
After Disney+ publicly announced that production on the prequel was indefinitely halted, Gad wrote on Twitter earlier this afternoon: “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.”
Set in the kingdom of Beauty and the Beast years before the Beast and Belle embarked on their epic romance, the show was set to follow Gaston and LeFou as they team up with the latter’s step-sister, Tilly (Middleton), after a surprising secret from her past is reveled. As a result, the unlikely trio embark off on an unexpected journey that’s 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.
Tony Award-nominated director Liesl Tommy was set to helm the project’s first episode. EGOT Award-winning composer Alan Menken, who scored both the 1991 and 2017 Beauty and the Beast movies, had been hired to write the soundtrack for the television series. Oscar-nominee Glenn Slater was set to pen the lyrics for the prequel’s first episode. Tommy, Menken and Evans also signed on to executive produce the show.
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