Beauty and the Beast Disney Plus prequel series announces further casting and details

Disney Plus has revealed further details regarding the Beauty and the Beast prequel series, which is set to star Josh Gad as LeFou (though going by Louie in the series) and Luke Evans as Gaston.

Today, it has been announced that Tony Award-nominated director Liesl Tommy (Respect), who has come on board as an executive producer and will direct the first episode.

Joining the cast is Briana Middleton (The Tender Bar) as LeFou's stepsister Tilly. Alan Menken, who created tunes for the original Beauty and the Beast, will executive produce and pen tunes, with Glenn Slater writing lyrics for the first episode.

The series is set to be an adventure story filled with "romance, comedy and adventure". Gary Marsh, president and chief creative officer of Disney Branded Television, said: "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."

Filming is set to begin next spring – with the eight-episode series' release date currently unconfirmed. Gad, Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz (Once Upon A Time) will act as show-runners.

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