Among delays and scheduling challenges with its cast, the Beauty and the Beast spinoff series, based on the 2017 feature film, has been put on hold, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Stars Josh Gad (Wolf Like Me) and Luke Evans (Dracula Untold) will reprise their roles as LeFou and Gaston, respectively.
The show will follow the duo’s origin story before the events in Emma Watson’s (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone) version of Beauty and the Beast in its eight-episode debut season. Briana Middleton (The Tender Bar) was cast as LeFou’s stepsister, Tilly.
While a series order was given to the show in June 2021, and production was set to begin this spring, it was pushed to the summer in Europe for weather-related reasons. Moreover, the scheduling conflicts with the actors, writers, and directors have been exacerbated due to COVID. Due to weather constraints and scheduling issues, Disney+ has decided to put the series on hold for the time being.
News of these delays comes just days after the streamer revealed that British singer Rita Ora, Fra Fee (Hawkeye), and Jelani Alladin (tick, tick…BOOM!) will be featured in the upcoming show. The live-action Beauty and the Beast accumulated over $1 billion at the worldwide box office.