Disney is developing a live-action Beauty and the Beast spin-off for its villain Gaston
No... one... has their own spin-off like Gaston!
Last updated 9th Jan 2026
Titled Gaston, Disney has confirmed a live-action Beauty and the Beast spinoff is underway — centered on its village hunk (and villain).
The original live-action feature will be written by David Callaham, known for his work on Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire and Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. A director hasn't been attached yet, and plot details are under wraps.
Who will be in the cast?
Disney hasn't announced any casting details for the spinoff yet.
Luke Evans, who played Gaston in the 2017 live-action remake, won't be reprising his role, meaning the studio is searching for a new macho man to bring the character to life, per Variety. It also hasn't been confirmed whether Josh Gad will return as LeFou.
Further casting announcements will likely come later in the development process, so fans will have to wait for official news about who will play the arrogant hunter.
When will it be released?
No release date has been set yet, but the studio will likely provide updates as production progresses.
What is the plot?
While official plot details haven't been announced, it's worth noting that Disney has already explored Gaston's backstory through their bestselling Villains book series, written by Serena Valentino.
Kill the Beast, published in 2024, reimagines Gaston's origins, revealing his childhood friendship with the prince and his transformation into the antagonist fans know. The book explores how he became obsessed with being "the best," a narrative thread that could easily inspire the new live-action film's creative direction.
So if this story is anything to go by, the movie could offer a similar perspective on our vascular villain.
Little Town: The scrapped prequel series
This isn't Disney's first attempt at spinning off these characters, either.
In June 2021, the studio previously greenlit Little Town, an eight-episode musical prequel starring Luke Evans and Josh Gad, set to reprise their roles as Gaston and LeFou respectively.
Production was scheduled for spring 2022 in the UK, but creative delays and cast scheduling conflicts derailed the project.
Disney shelved the show in February 2022, and Evans confirmed the disappointing outcome on Twitter, stating: 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.'
The original 1991 animated classic
Based on the 1740 French fairy tale by Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve, Disney's 1991 Beauty and the Beast became a cultural phenomenon during the 'Renaissance' period.
Broadway star Paige O'Hara voiced Belle, while Robby Benson brought the Beast to life. Richard White provided the voice for the boastful Gaston.
The feature claimed two Oscars at the 64th Academy Awards in 1992 for Best Original Score (Alan Menken) and Best Original Song for Beauty and the Beast (Menken and Howard Ashman).
The film also became the first animated feature ever nominated for Best Picture, a groundbreaking achievement that remained unmatched for nearly two decades.
The 2017 live-action remake
Starring Emma Watson as Belle, Disney's 2017 live-action adaptation became a massive box office success, but opened to mixed reviews.
The remake also starred Dan Stevens as Beast, with Luke Evans taking on Gaston. While Ewan McGregor voiced supporting sidekick Lumiere; Ian McKellen as Cogsworth; and Emma Thompson as Mrs Potts.
The film grossed over $1 billion worldwide, receiving numerous nominations, and winning several awards — particularly for its Costume and Production Design.
Despite not winning any Oscars, however, it stands as one of Disney's most successful live-action adaptations of their animated classics.
Check out Disney's upcoming live-action slate:
Moana
Release date: 10th July 2026
Remake of: Moana (2016)
Dwayne Johnson confirmed in a sweet video in April 2023 that he would be reprising his role as demigod Maui in a live-action remake of Moana! His co-star from the 2016 original, Auli'I Cravalho, also confirmed that she would be returning to the franchise, but later announced that she would not be reprising her role as the titular character and instead be taking on a producer role. Catherine Laga'aia was announced to have been cast as Moana in June 2024 - and we caught a first glimpse of her as Moana in November 2025 when the first teaser trailer dropped... AND her beautiful voice!
Tangled
Status: Announced
Remake of: Tangled (2011)
It's fair to say that Disney's animated hit film Tangled has become a modern classic, so it's no surprise it's getting the live-action treatment. The original film's starring voice-actors Zachary Levi and Mandy Moore were even keen on a live-action remake, suggesting how they could even feature as a cameo.
In December 2024, it was reported that a script had allegedly been 'drafted', with The Greatest Showman and Better Man director Michael Gracey reportedly having 'entered negotiations' to take on the film, and in October 2025 it was rumoured that Scarlett Johansson could be taking on the role of Mother Gothel. However, she had reportedly pulled out of the project by December 2025 due to scheduling conflicts, with The Hollywood Reporter writing that Sarah Catherine Hook, Teagan Croft, Freya Skye and Olivia-Mai Barrett had all read for the part of Rapunzel. In January 2026, Teagan Croft was confirmed as Rapunzel with Milo Manheim announced as Flynn Rider.
Hercules
Status: Announced
Remake of: Hercules (1997)
Hercules is in line for a live-action remake, with Joe and Anthony Russo AKA The Russo Brothers - best known for being the brains behind Avengers: Endgame and Infinity War - will produce the film, but not direct it. Guy Ritchie was attached to direct initially, but it's since been rumoured that he's left the project.
Writing the script will be Dave Callaham, who wrote the Expendables film series and Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, as well as Wonder Woman 1984 and Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse 2. In April 2024, the Russo brothers confirmed they had not yet had a script for the project, but that it was still happening.
Although it's still too early to confirm any cast members, fans are keen for Miss 'God is a Woman' herself, Ariana Grande, to take on the role of Megara, following the singer's cover of 'I Won't Say I'm in Love' during The Disney Family Singalong in 2020.
Bambi
Status: Announced
Remake of: Bambi (1942)
Again, not much is known about this remake so far, but it reported that it will be made with CGI just like The Jungle Book and The Lion King.
Confirming the remake, Variety reported that screenwriters Geneva Robertson-Dworet (Captain Marvel) and Lindsey Beer (Sierra Burgess Is a Loser) will write the screenplay, with Chris and Paul Weitz's Depth of Field producing.
Lilo & Stitch 2
Status: Announced
Remake of: Lilo & Stich 2 (2005)
Following the success of the live-action remake of Lilo & Stitch in 2025, Disney were quick to confirm the second movie would be getting the same treatment, with the cast set to return.
Maleficent 3
Status: Announced
Sequel to: Maleficent (2014) and Maleficent: Mistress of Evil (2021)
So far, we know that the first draft of a script had been confirmed in September 2021, with Angelina Jolie herself confirm at a panel in November 2021 that she would return for a third film. It was officially announced in December 2023, and screenwriter Linda Woolverton was reported to be still working on the project in March 2025.
Robin Hood
Status: Rumoured
Remake of: Robin Hood (1973)
Rumours began swirling in April 2020 that Disney were planning to tackle Robin Hood for the live-action treatment. According to Empire Online, the corporation will be remaking the beloved fox and bear combo of Robin Hood and Little John - but will they keep them as animals or turn them into people? Only time will tell.
The publication reports that Carlos Lopez Estrada has signed on as director, having previously worked on the likes of Blindspotting and Billie Eilish's music video for 'When the Party's Over', and that the script will be written by Kari Granlund, who wrote the recent remake of Lady and the Tramp, and also worked on Godmothered - another Disney film starring Isla Fisher.
Gaston
Status: Announced
Remake of: Spin-off to 2017's Beauty and the Beast
Disney is developing Gaston, a brand-new live-action Beauty and the Beast spin-off putting the spotlight firmly on the village hunk (and villain). The movie is being written by David Callaham (Shang-Chi, Godzilla x Kong), with no director, cast, or release date announced just yet. Though Luke Evans portrayed Gaston in 2017's Beauty and the Beast live-action remake, the actor isn't set to return the role, and there's no word so far on whether Josh Gad might come back as LeFou. Story details are still under wraps, but we're speculating that Disney's Villains novel Kill the Beast, which explores Gaston's past and his fixation on being the 'best', could inspire the tone or direction of the film.
Beauty and the Beast prequel series
Status: Shelved
Remake of: Beauty and the Beast (1991) and sequel to Beauty and the Beast (2017)
After the success of the live-action Beauty and the Beast film in 2017, there was a lot of interest in a spin-off about the character Le Fou, played in that film by Josh Gad AKA the voice of Olaf the Snowman from the Frozen films. Fans will remember the character being a lapdog to Gaston - the baddie who is interested in marrying Belle, much to her disdain. Le Fou was played as if having an unrequited love towards Gaston, and the series was set to explore the relationship between the two and how they met in the first place.
However, the series was scrapped in 2022 due to creative differences and scheduling conflicts.
Aladdin 2
Status: Shelved
Remake of: Sequel to Aladdin (2019)
In February 2020, it was announced that Disney were pursuing a sequel to the live-action Aladdin, which was released in 2019. The only confirmation has been that writers Andrea Berloff and John Gatins would return to the project, but there's no word on whether the cast or director, Guy Ritchie, will be reuniting. It was also reported that the new film would not take any inspiration from the original animated film's sequels: Return of Jafar and Aladdin and the King of Thieves, and would be a totally new story.
In September 2021, Mena Massoud, who starred in the 2019 film, told Screen Rant: "They're working on it. They're trying to make it happen. That's really all I know. As you know, usually actors are the last piece of the puzzle, so the studio has got a lot to worry about before they start thinking about the actors. Obviously, I would hope that all of us come back and Naomi, Will and I all come back and the rest of the cast, Marwan, Navid, Nasim, everybody. But right now, as far as I know, they're just working on the script and trying to make it happen."
As of 2025, there haven't been any developments on the film. Disney were also reportedly looking into a prequel for Aladdin entitled Genies, focusing on Will Smith's character - although he wasn't linked to the project. However, that was scrapped in May 2021. There's also a rumoured spin-off, to focus on the character of Prince Anders from the 2019 film starring Billy Magnussen.
The Hunchback of Notre Dame
Status: Shelved
Remake of: The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996)
In January 2019, a live-action remake of The Hunchback of Notre Dame was announced after actor Josh Gad revealed he was helming the new project. Josh, who is the voice of Olaf the Snowman in the Frozen film franchise and starred in the live-action remake of The Beauty and the Beast in 2017, revealed that he'd taken a trip to Paris in January 2019 to research the film.
Posting a photo of himself under the famous Notre Dame cathedral in the French capital city, he cryptically wrote: 'Sing the bells, bells, bells Bells, bells, bells, bells, bells...'
The remake was confirmed by People magazine, with Deadline later revealing that original composer Alan Menken was set to team up with Stephen Schwartz to write the music. The original 1996 film was very loosely based on the original 1831 novel by Victor Hugo, and was given the Disney treatment to remove some of the heavier topics from the book - although is still considered to be one of the darker Disney films.
However, in a 2023 interview, Alan Menken revealed that the Hunchback remake would not go ahead as it would be too difficult to navigate the subject matter.
The Aristocats
Status: Shelved
Remake of: The Aristocats (1970)
A live-action remake of The Aristocats was in the pipeline with The Roots member Questlove directing - unfortunately, he confirmed in August 2025 that it was no longer happening. Not much else was known about the film, other than it would have been a mix of live-action performances and CGI.
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