Luke Evans has said he is “devastated” that a Beauty And The Beast prequel series for Disney+ will no longer go ahead.
The eight-episode prequel, set before the events of the 2017 live-action film, was announced last year.
It was due to see Evans and co-star Josh Gad reprise their roles as Gaston and LeFou, with Briana Middleton joining the cast as LeFou’s sister Tilly.
Sadly, ‘Tis true. We tried to make it all work but under the gun it wasn’t meant to be… for now. These characters and this story will live on, but sometimes the best intentions & reality collide & nothing can be done. https://t.co/6OLkv6mrEe
— Luke Evans (@TheRealLukevans) February 10, 2022
The musical series was set to feature an original soundtrack from Alan Menken, the composer behind the 1991 animated film.
Evans shared his disappointment that the show will no longer go ahead, writing on Twitter: “Sadly, ‘Tis true. We tried to make it all work but under the gun it wasn’t meant to be… for now.
“These characters and this story will live on, but sometimes the best intentions & reality collide & nothing can be done.
This is a very sad message for us to tweet. We are devastated. Goodbye, for now, from Gaston and Le fou ❤️
— Luke Evans (@TheRealLukevans) February 10, 2022
“This is a very sad message for us to tweet. We are devastated. Goodbye, for now, from Gaston and Le fou.”
Gad added: “But… we truly hope we get to make it when our schedules allow.”
But… we truly hope we get to make it when our schedules allow. pic.twitter.com/A3UpgRXKCg
— Josh Gad (@joshgad) February 10, 2022
Disney previously announced song lyrics for the first episode would be by Oscar-nominee Glenn Slater, who previously worked on Tangled.
It was due to be set years before the Beast and Belle’s romance and would follow Gaston, LeFou and Tilly after a surprising revelation from her past comes to light, sending the unlikely trio off on an unexpected journey.