Disney greenlights a live-action Gaston movie with Dave Callaham and Michelle Rejwan

Disney has started work on a live-action Gaston movie, a figure from Beauty and the Beast. This is another addition to Disney’s live-action lineup, and is planned as an independent theatrical film instead of a TV show.

Initially disclosed by Deadline, the screenplay will be crafted by Dave Callaham, with Michelle Rejwan serving as producer. A director has not yet been revealed. The project remains in its initial development phase. The studio might be progressing with a fresh creative vision for the character.

The live-action Gaston movie will not pick up the narrative from Disney’s 2017 live-action Beauty and the Beast. Luke Evans, who played Gaston in that movie, is not expected to be a part of the project. Rather, it is believed that Disney intends to recast the character and offer a different take on it. Before Callaham joined, an initial version of the script was penned by Kate Herron and Briony Redman.

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Disney live-action Gaston movie: Creative team and development status

Gaston's character from Beauty and the Beast (Image via YouTube/Disney UK)

Reports indicate that the live-action Gaston movie will likely adopt a “swashbuckling” style. Although exact plot information has not been revealed, the synopsis implies a focus on an action-driven narrative compared to earlier iterations of the character. Disney has yet to verify if the storyline will serve as a prequel, a reinterpretation, or a linked spin-off.

Gaston made his debut in Disney's 1991 animated flick Beauty and the Beast, big on hunting, way more into Belle, causing friction with the Beast. Then he returned in the 2017 live-action remake. After that, Disney began exploring spin-offs from the Beauty and the Beast world, including talks of a Disney+ series built around Gaston. However, nothing ever came out of it.

Screenwriters Evan Spiliotopoulos or Stephen Chbosky, involved in the 2017 version, once said they wanted to expand Gaston's story by altering how it ends. Still, those concepts didn't become a finished plan.

Dave Callaham penned Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings before jumping into Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. He helped shape Godzilla vs. Kong: The New Empire along with The Expendables.

For now, Michelle Rejwan has moved up at Disney while handling real-life films under Lucasfilm. She’s put together movies like Star Wars: The Force Awakens, then later Rise of Skywalker, on top of that, series such as Andor, plus Obi-Wan Kenobi.

This upcoming project lines up with Disney’s habit of turning old cartoons into real-life flicks. Aside from the Gaston story, they’re tinkering with new takes on Moana, Hercules, maybe even Prince Charming. No word yet on when it’ll drop, how fast they’ll make it, or who might star in the Gaston one.

More details about the live-action Gaston movie should come out as things move forward. Right now, it’s just starting; ideas and teams are slowly coming together.

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