Beauty and the Beast prequel series with Luke Evans' Gaston in development at Disney Plus

Disney has started working on a prequel series to its 2017 hit Beauty and the Beast for the company’s streaming service Disney Plus. According to The Hollywood Reporter, actors Luke Evans and Josh Gad are set to reprise their roles from the film.

The prequel series is being created by Eddy Kitsis and Adam Horowitz, the producers of ABC’s fairy-tale drama Once Upon a Time and Apple TV Plus’ Amazing Stories. The untitled limited series will consist of six episodes. Composer Alan Menken is also in talks to return as well. Evans, Gad, Kitsis and Horowitz are also going to serve as executive producers. Beauty and the Beast, a live-action remake of 1991 animated classic of the same name, featured actors Emma Watson and Dan Stevens as the two leads. The movie focused on the relationship between the Beast (Stevens), a prince who is magically transformed into a monster and his servants into household objects as punishment for his arrogance, and Belle (Watson), a young woman whom he imprisons in his castle to become a prince again. Evans had portrayed Gaston, a narcissistic and arrogant hunter and veteran of the French Royal Army who wants Belle as his wife. Gad had played the role of Gaston’s sidekick LeFou.