Rita Ora Joins Disney+ BEAUTY & THE BEAST Prequel Series

Rita Ora has joined the cast of the upcoming Disney+ BEAUTY AND THE BEAST prequel series.

Deadline reports that the British pop star will join the previously announced Jelani Alladin, Fra Free, Briana Middleton, Luke Evans, and Josh Gad in the new eight-episode musical series. Production is set to being this spring.

Ora will play fugitive with surprising abilities who has a secret that has the potential to affect the entire kingdom. The singer has previously been seen in Fifty Shades of Grey and as the Artful Dodger in the 2021 film Twist.

Academy Award-winner Alan Menken and Glenn Slater will write new songs for the currently untitled series. The Tony-nominated director of "Eclipsed," Liesl Tommy, will direct the pilot.

Set in the iconic kingdom of "Beauty and the Beast" years before Beast and Belle's epic romance, the prequel series will follow Gaston and LeFou as they set off with LeFou's stepsister, 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. 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.

Photo Credit: Genevieve Rafter-Keddy