Advertisement

Gaston Disney+ series in 'fully-fledged development' with new Alan Menken music, says Luke Evans

Luke Evans as Gaston in 'Beauty and the Beast'. (Credit: Disney)
Luke Evans as Gaston in 'Beauty and the Beast'. (Credit: Disney)

The Disney+ spin-off for Luke Evans’s Gaston from Beauty and the Beast is now in “fully-fledged development”, according to its star.

Evans told Collider that the project is moving forward and that he has already heard new music from Disney veteran Alan Menken.

Read more: The most streamed Disney songs on Spotify

The 41-year-old star revealed that the series came about as a result of the bond struck between Evans and co-star Josh Gad, who played LeFou, on the set of the 2017 Beauty and the Beast remake.

He said the duo, who recently reunited for the Disney Family Singalong, are “vibrating with excitement” at the prospect of getting going on the new series and reprising their roles.

“Now, we’re in fully fledged development,” Evans revealed while promoting TV series The Alienist: Angel of Darkness.

Gaston (Luke Evans) and LeFou (Josh Gad) in 'Beauty and the Beast'. (Credit: Disney)
Gaston (Luke Evans) and LeFou (Josh Gad) in 'Beauty and the Beast'. (Credit: Disney)

He added: “The second and third episodes have been written and we’ve heard some of the music by Alan Menken.

“We’re just so honoured to have him on board, writing the music, which is extraordinary, in itself.

“We feel so lucky to have this talented group of people creating a story about two much loved and much hated characters, but that’s the excitement.”

Read more: Josh Gad reveals what it will take for Frozen 3 to happen

The new show will serve as a prequel series, exploring Gaston and LeFou before the events of the movie and the origins of their friendship.

Luke Evans poses on the red carpet upon arrival at the BAFTA Film Awards at the Royal Albert Hall on February 10, 2019. (Photo by Tolga Akmen/AFP via Getty Images)
Luke Evans poses on the red carpet upon arrival at the BAFTA Film Awards at the Royal Albert Hall on February 10, 2019. (Photo by Tolga Akmen/AFP via Getty Images)

Beauty and the Beast was a mammoth success for Disney, earning $1.26bn (£1bn) at the global box office and sitting within the top 20 highest-grossing movies of all time.

The next Disney live-action effort heading to the big screen is Mulan, which is due for release in August having been delayed as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

Other live-action remakes in the pipeline include The Little Mermaid and Hercules.

Read more: Disney has made more than £5.75m from live-action remakes

Since appearing in Beauty and the Beast, Evans has released his first studio album At Last, featuring covers of tracks including Love is a Battlefield and Bring Him Home from Les Misérables.