Luke Evans Reveals the BEAUTY & THE BEAST Spinoff Series Will Happen in the 'Near Future'

Luke Evans has revealed that the Beauty and the Beast spinoff series will happen in the near future. Evans was set to reprise the role of Gaston alongside Josh Gad as Lefou, after they had played the roles in Disney's 2017 live action remake of the classic animated film.

In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Evans revealed that the series is "on hold" and that they are waiting to fine-tune certain aspects of the series to correctly honor the original film's legacy.

"It's been put on hold. We just wanna make sure that it is absolutely the best it can be, and if that means we just have to wait a little longer to finesse certain pieces of it, then that's what we're going to do because this is a very important legacy."

Production on the project was originally scheduled to begin in the UK in spring 2022, coinciding with the animated feature's 30th anniversary.

In February 2022, it was announced that production had halted on the series due to the fact that the show's creative elements were not coming together in the timeframe necessary to begin production.

"We want to honor these characters with the best story we can possibly deliver. It's just on hold. It is gonna happen. We're very excited about it. At some point in the near future, it will happen," Evans continued to reveal.

The "Beauty and the Beast" live action series was to follow Gaston and LeFou, as Luke Evans and Josh Gad were set to reprise their roles in the musical prequel series. Also in the cast was popstar Rita Ora, Fre Free, and Briana Middleton, with a score by Academy Award-winner Alan Menken and lyrics by Glenn Slater.

Tony-nominated director Liesl Tommy was set to direct the show's pilot.

Set in the iconic kingdom of "Beauty and the Beast" years before the Beast and Belle's epic romance, the series was set to follow Gaston and LeFou as they set off with LeFou's step-sister, Tilly, 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.

Evans can be seen as the Coachman in the new live action film adaption of Pinocchio, which is now streaming on Disney+. He will also star alongside Billy Porter in the upcoming film Our Son.

Photo by Jesse Grant/Getty Images for Disney