Back in March, reports surfaced that Disney was working on a prequel series to its 2017 billion dollar live-action remake of Beauty and the Beast, that is centered on the villainous Gaston and his loyal companion LeFou played brilliantly by Luke Evans and Josh Gad.
A few weeks after the initial report, composer Alan Menken shared he was working on the series. Now, thanks to a tweet from Gad, we know multiple new songs have been written for the series.
This week I may or may not have heard a few new @AIMenken songs for something in the works, and I may or may not be quaking with excitement.
This week I may or may not have heard a few new @AIMenken songs for something in the works and I may or may not be quaking with excitement. 🥰 pic.twitter.com/AdU3B7Nsak
— Josh Gad (@joshgad) May 24, 2020
The untitled series for Disney+ is expected to be a six-episode musical. The series is still in the development stages but is expected to take place before the events of Beauty and the Beast and will expand upon the universe. Evans and Gad are the only actors from the film that are set to return. Still, Disney is expected to engage Emma Watson (Belle), Dan Stevens (Beast), Ewan McGregor (Lumiere), Ian McKellan (Cogsworth), and Emma Thompson (Mrs. Potts) for potential appearances.
Read: Exclusive: Disney Developing Live-Action ‘The Snow Queen’ Film
Once Upon a Time creators, Eddy Kitsis and Adam Horowitz are set to serve as showrunners and producers on the project alongside Gad. ABC Signature Studios is the studio on the series, which is currently working on the Mighty Duck series. Conversations about the untitled Beauty and the Beast prequel began shortly after the trio decided to depart Muppets series they were developing, Muppets Live Another Day.
The Gaston and LeFou series is Disney’s second live-action spinoff series in development for Disney+, with the studio also working on the Aladdin spinoff centered on Prince Anders, played by Billy Magnussen (Game Night).
Source: Josh Gad