It was 2017, when the Disney acting version of Beauty and the Beast was released. It was quite a surprise that LeFou played by Josh Gad, Gaston’s persistent midfielder, will be gay in the film. Despite the media hype related to the sexuality of LeFou (the first homosexual character in Disney films and series), it turned out that the subject was treated very lightly by the creators. We had the moment of the men winking at each other and the dancing. The film suggested that the real object of LeFou’s sighs was Gaston, played by Luke Evans. In a recent interview with The Independent , Gad admitted that they didn’t do enough with the character.
We haven’t come far enough to be convincing. We haven’t gone far enough to say look how brave we are. I wish what happened was called Disney’s first clearly gay moment. It never was. It was never meant to be a moment to brag about because, honestly, I don’t think it is. It should be something natural in Disney’s merry movies. If we’re gonna pat each other on the back, we should fucking go it further. Everyone deserves to be able to see themselves on the screen, and I don’t think we’ve done enough and certainly haven’t done enough to do so.
Josh Gad said
Gad will have the opportunity to reprise his role as LeFou in the Gaston prequel. Just three days after the announcement that Rita Ora had joined the cast of the show, Disney announced that production was not moving forward with the show. The reptile that was supposed to star in the new series recently appeared on the Just for Variety podcast and told a bit about his experience with the LeFou story. When asked directly about the hero’s journey with his sexuality, Gad was mysterious and suggested that there are some surprises waiting for the viewers of the new series. These days, Disney focuses on stories about the origins of villains. Following production, Maleficent and Cruella turns to the next formidable type in the ranks of Gaston’s villains.
A series of Beauty and the Beast prequels focusing on the friendship between Gaston and his inept midfielder LeFou was announced last March, with the title, Little Town , being revealed this summer. however, Disney’s press release currently calls the series simply Beauty and the Beast. How confusing. The series will be a limited, eight-episode production with original songs from the animation and film. Luke Evans and Josh Gad, who played Gaston and LeFou in the 2017 action movie, will reprise their roles, with Briana Middleton ( The Tender Bar ) joining as LeFou’s half-sister Tilly.
The premiere screening will feature the original music of the composer Beauty and the Beast , Alan Menken. Tony-nominated director Liesl Tommy ( Eclipsed ) will executive produce and direct the first episode. Gad, Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz ( Once Upon a Time ) – who co-developed the Muppets music series for Disney Plus, which ended in a fiasco – are writing the series.
The official summary is as follows:
Set in the fairytale setting of Beauty and the Beast years before Beast and Belle’s epic romance, the series will follow Gaston and LeFou as they embark on a journey with the latter’s half-sister, Tilly. After a surprising discovery from her past comes to light, the unique trio embarks on an unexpected journey of romance, comedy and adventure. As the secrets of the past are revealed and the dangers of the present grow, old friends and new enemies discover that the new kingdom holds many secrets.
In Disney’s ” Beauty and the Beast ” stories, Gaston is a chauvinistic hunter who wants to forcibly marry Belle – the most beautiful girl in the village. He hates reading and independent women and prefers to flex his muscles in the local tavern rather than putting effort into actually understanding the object of his desire. We’ll probably find out how Gaston got like this. Or was it just always like this?
Production of this series is set to start in spring 2022. The premiere will be available on Disney Plus.