Luke Evans Gives Update on BEAUTY AND THE BEAST Spin-Off Series Saying Its "Gonna Happen," But "It's Just On Hold"
Luke Evans played the perfect Gaston in Disney’s live-action remake of Beauty and the Beast. He was a perfect mix of charming and hilarious with obnoxious and rude, and along with his co-star Josh Gad, who played his sidekick LeFou, they created a team worthy of a Disney+ spin-off series. It was announced a while back, but it’s been a bit since we’ve heard an update on the project.
Evans was recently asked about the series in an interview with Entertainment Weekly, and he said:
"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. 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 says he and Gad talk all the time. They had always wanted to work together, and then when Beauty and the Beast, the film, happened, they were looking for something else to partner on.
"We came up with the idea of, what would it be like to delve into the past of Gaston and LeFou and how they met and who they were and why they became the people that we meet in the movie that we all know and love? That opened up several cans of worms. To navigate a story of those two people and also new characters, and then bring them right up to the moment where you meet them in the movie has been a thrilling experience. There's a lot of ways it could go. So that's where we have been so far and where we hopefully will go to in the future."
The Emma Watson-led Beauty and the Beast (2017) made waves when it was revealed that Gad's LeFou was gay in the film, though many critics, including the LGBTQ community at large, felt that element had been buried. Even Gad says he felt the moment didn't go far enough. When asked if this element is something he hopes will be explored in the prequel series, Evans, who is openly gay, says, "Who knows? I'm not sure." He went on to add:
"There's so many things about these two characters that we don't really know, about their origin stories. Were they always these creatures or were they different? It's a bit like, no one's born bad. Things happen, you make wrong decisions, or you choose to make a decision that affects the rest of your life. I think that was where we were going with the idea and concept. So I hope one day soon we will be able to deliver that story for you guys."
I hope the series happens. Evans and Gad are a fun duo in these roles, and I think it would make for a really entertaining series. Do you hope to see the Gaston and LeFou series get made?