Following in the footsteps of Maleficent and Cruella de Vil, Disney is bringing one of their more iconic animated villains into live-action. A film based on Beauty and the Beast‘s chauvinistic Gaston is in the works. No director has yet been attached to the film, but it is in early development.

According to sources, the film is being penned by Dave Callaham (Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse), who is next set to write Godzilla x Kong: Supernova, the latest installment of Legendary’s Monsterverse. A previous draft was written by Kate Herron (Loki) and Briony Redman; the two previously collaborated on the Doctor Who episode “Rogue.” Michelle Rejwan, a veteran of several of Disney’s recent Lucasfilm projects including Obi-Wan Kenobi, Willow, and Andor, is on board the produce the film, which is said to have a “swashbuckling” tone. Luke Evans, who played the character in 2017’s live-action Beauty and the Beast movie, will not return to play this incarnation of the character.

Who Is Gaston?

The character of Gaston does not appear in the French fairy tale 1991’s Beauty and the Beast was based on; he was an invention of that film’s screenwriter, Linda Woolverton. While previous Disney villains had been designed to be grotesque or frightening, Gatson was a square-jawed caricature of masculinity and physical fitness, designed by animator Andreas Deja. In the film, he’s an accomplished hunter, outdoorsman, and town bully who’s constantly accompanied by sycophantic sidekick LeFou, and attributes his physique to his artery-clogging daily consumption of five dozen eggs. In the film, he vies for the affections of Belle, only to find that she’s fallen into the clutches of the accursed Beast. He eventually organizes a torch-and-pitchfork-wielding mob to sack the Beast’s castle, only to perish in a confrontation with the bewitched one-time prince. He was voiced by Broadway veteran Richard White in the original film, who returned for several spin-offs; Evans played the character in the 2017 live-action version of the film. A persistent but unfounded fan theory postulates that he was the offscreen hunter who killed Bambi’s mother.

This isn’t the first time Disney has attempted to give Gaston the spotlight. Little Town, a spin-off series for Disney+, was in development several years ago, and would have had Evans reprise his role, accompanied by Josh Gad‘s LeFou. However, it was ultimately delayed, and then cancelled before it would begin production.

A live-action Gaston movie is in development at Disney. Stay tuned to Collider for future updates.

Release Date

November 21, 1991

Runtime

84 Minutes

Director

Gary Trousdale, Kirk Wise

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