Gaston, the swole villain from Beauty and the Beast, will reportedly be the next Disney baddie to get the live-action movie treatment.
Following in the footsteps of Maleficent and Cruella de Vil, Deadline reports that development has begun on a Gaston standalone picture.
It's believed that the movie will feature an all-new version of the character — depicted in Disney's 1992 animated classic as a self-entitled sexist. Luke Evans previously portrayed the character in live-action in the 2017 Emma Watson-starring Beauty and the Beast remake.
Work on the project is still in its early stages, but Disney is apparently very keen on the idea and planning a "swashbuckling" take.
The project has screenwriter David Callaham attached, who previously worked on The Expendables franchise, and has co-writing credits on Wonder Woman 1984, Shang-Chi and Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. LucasFilm producer Michelle Rejwan is also attached, following her work on Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, plus Disney+ series Andor and Obi-Wan Kenobi.
Reportedly, Disney briefly paused its work on live-action remakes that feature classic characters after this spring's disastrous launch of a new Snow White, which failed to recoup its $240 million production budget amid a string of poor reviews and online controversies.
But the company has apparently now thawed on the concept following the $1 billion success of its subsequent Lilo & Stitch movie — for which a sequel is already in the works. Disney is also believed to be planning a live-action version of Tangled, with Scarlett Johansson reportedly in talks to play its villain Mother Gothel.
Image credit: Disney.
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