The “Beauty and the Beast” prequel TV series at Disney+ is on hold indefinitely, an individual with knowledge of the project told TheWrap.
The hold is said to be for creative reasons as well as scheduling issues.
Josh Gad and Luke Evans, who starred in the live-action “Beauty and the Beast” movie, are both executive producing the prequel series in addition to reprising their on-camera roles. And actually, Gad is co-showrunning the show with “Once Upon a Time” bosses Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz.
Other executive producers on the limited series include Liesl Tommy and legendary Disney songwriter Alan Menken. Tommy was set to direct the premiere episode of the ABC Signature series, with Glenn Slater writing the lyrics for the first episode.
Set in the iconic kingdom of “Beauty and the Beast” years before Beast and Belle’s epic romance, the prequel series was set to follow Gaston (Evans) and LeFou (Gad) as they set off with LeFou’s stepsister, Tilly (Briana Middleton), after a surprising revelation from her past comes to light, sending the unlikely trio off on an unexpected journey filled with romance, comedy and adventure, the show’s description reads. 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.
Earlier this week, Rita Ora was cast as “a fugitive with surprising abilities who carries with her a secret that could potentially affect an entire kingdom.”