Fra Fee joins Beauty and the Beast musical prequel series on Disney Plus

The Disney Plus musical prequel series telling the story of Gaston is turning into quite the thespy affair!

Fra Fee, star of The Ferryman, the Cinderella movie and Les Misérables, has joined the series as Prince Benoit Berlioz.

Already revealed in the multi-part prequel are Luke Evans as Gaston, Josh Gad as LeFou and Briana Middleton (The Tender Bar) as LeFou's stepsister Tilly. Berlioz is said to be a a childhood friend of Tilly's, according to Variety.

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 this 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.

Tony Award-nominated director Liesl Tommy (Respect) will direct the first episode. The stage version of Beauty and the Beast is currently touring across the country, led by Courtney Stapleton.

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