Bad news for Beauty and the Beast fans. The musical mini-series derived from the 2017 film with Luke Evans and Josh Gad has just been put on hold by Disney+, announces the American site The Hollywood Reporter.
Led by the creators of Once Upon A Time, Eddy Kitsis and Adam Horowitz, available in eight episodes, this musical spin-off was to see the actors take over the roles of Gaston and Le Fou. It was also intended to introduce new characters, including Le Fou’s half-sister, Tilly, whose role had been given to Brianna Middleton. Singer Rita Ora had even recently been announced to the casting to play a role kept secret.
Unfortunately, production was “delayed indefinitely” due to creative issues and scheduling conflicts with the cast. Disney+ has therefore made the decision not to pursue the project for the moment, specifies The Hollywood Reporter. For Josh Gad, who reacted to the announcement via his Twitter account, all hope is not lost.
https://t.co/GseTTsggPj
Sadly, ‘Tis true. We tried to make it all work but under the gun it wasn’t meant to be… for now. These characters and this story will live on, but sometimes the best intentions & reality collide & nothing can be done.
—Josh Gad (@joshgad) February 10, 2022
“Unfortunately it’s true. We tried to make it all work, but under the pressure it just didn’t have to happen…yet. These characters and this story will live on, but sometimes best intentions and reality collide and nothing can be done. But… we really hope to be able to do it when our schedules allow it, ”he wrote.
Luke Evans has expressed his sadness to see the mini-series on hold, but also maintains the hope that this can change over time.
This is a very sad message for us to tweet. We are devastated. Goodbye, for now, from Gaston and Le fou
— Luke Evans (@TheRealLukevans) February 10, 2022
“This is a very sad message that we have to tweet. We are devastated. Goodbye, for the moment, from Gaston and Le Fou”, can we read.