The incredible popularity of Disney movies is never-ending, especially now the studio is giving their films a new lease of life with the conveyor belt of live-action Disney movies that have graced our screens. There’s plans to expand that further too, but a prequel TV series based on Beauty and the Beast has stalled for a while now, despite Josh Gad’s enthusiasm for the project.
Disney princess Belle was reimagined in 2017, with Harry Potter star Emma Watson taking on the iconic role for the musical movie. While the film may have received mixed reviews at the time, it did make an absolute fortune at the box-office and if we know one thing, it’s that any movie which earns $1.264 billion is going to lead to some kind of spin-off or sequel. That was the plan, with a Beauty and the Beast series put into development for the streaming service Disney Plus.
The project hasn’t seen the light of day yet, and in an interview with Collider, Josh Gad explained what’s going on.
“I think that Luke [Evans] and I are still very much interested in the story. There were elements that were really, really stunning and really brilliant. It’s that blessing and curse of, when you’re doing something as big and as ambitious as a Beauty and the Beast prequel, and you’re getting to play with the crown jewels, it’s gonna be an expensive undertaking,” Gad said.
“In terms of ambition and scope, and trying to marry it to one of the most expensive movies in the Disney library, its ambition ran away with it. There are ways that we can tell this story and live up to the promise of what it can be, but also do it in a way that won’t break the bank. Ultimately, I think that will be the way forward. I hope we get to do it. I know we’re still very interested,” he added.
With the mammoth success of ventures such as the MCU and the Star Wars franchise, you wouldn’t think Disney would be worried about money, but it sounds like everyone is feeling the pinch in this economy. Still, the project doesn’t appear to be totally dead in the water, so we may still see the origins of Gaston and LeFou from the romance movie.
For more from the world of Disney, check out our list of the best Pixar movies of all time. Or, if you think you’ve exhausted your House of Mouse streaming service, here’s the best Disney Plus movies.