Beauty and the Beast Musical Prequel Show Greenlit for Disney+, Alan Menken Returning for Songs

A tale as old as time is about to be a little longer. Disney has officially greenlit a prequel series to its live-action adaptation of Beauty and the Beast with much of the main cast returning. The series, currently titled Beauty and the Beast, will bring back Luke Evans and Josh Gad as Gaston and LeFou (Louie) respectively and also introduce a new character, Louie’s step-sister Tilly, played by Briana Middleton.

The Beauty and the Beast prequel show has actually been in the works for a long while, but Disney+ finally got it moving. It will take place years before the film does and focus on Gaston, Louie, and Tilly setting off on a journey to uncover secrets about Tilly’s past. Just what those secrets are is obviously a secret, but they will uncover new insights into the magical kingdom Beauty and the Beast is set in and old, familiar faces will be returning as well as the show unpacks the lore of Beauty and the Beast. It will be tough for much character development to occur, considering how shallow Gaston is in the film, but if Disney can try to redeem a dog killer, then it should be easy enough to make a jocky buffoon fun to watch.

“For anyone who’s ever wondered how a brute like Gaston and a goof like LeFou could have ever become friends and partners, or how a mystical enchantress came to cast that fateful spell on the prince-turned-beast, this series will finally provide those answers…and provoke a whole new set of questions,” said Gary Marsh, president, and chief creative officer, Disney Branded Television.

The show will be an eight-episode musical series and is, at the moment, limited to that, so we shouldn’t be getting any more. It’s being written and developed by Gad and Once Upon a Time creators Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz, with theatrical director Liesl Tommy set to direct the first episode. Most importantly, however, is the fact that Alan Menken is returning to write new songs for the show with lyrics from Glenn Slater.

This Beauty and the Beast prequel show is the first spin-off series from Disney’s live-action adaptations of its own animated fare, but if it’s successful, it’s hard to believe we won’t see more. Timon and Pumba “live-action” show, anyone?