Disney looks to be taking another one of its iconic villains and giving it the live-action spin, as sources tell Deadline the studio is in early development on pic centered on the Beauty and the Beast character Gaston.
Dave Callaham is writing the script with Michelle Rejwan producing. No director is attached at this time. Kate Herron and Briony Redman penned a previous draft.
Gaston first appeared in Disney’s original 1992 animated classic as an arrogant and ruthless hunter who had unrequited feelings for the main protagonist, the beauty Belle, and ultimately becomes the main adversary of The Beast. Disney went on to produce a live-action version of the film in 2017 with Luke Evans playing Gaston, and following its billion-dollar box office success there was discussion of a TV series centered on the character, with Evans reprising the role. But that project was scrapped.
While plot details are vague for this version, sources say it will be a new and original version with a new actor, and that the film will have “swashbuckling” tones to it. Insiders say the studio is high on the idea.
Rejwan has a long-standing relationship with the studio going back to when she oversaw live-action at Lucasfilm. Among the projects she produced for the studio over the years include Star Wars: Force Awakens, Andor, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.
Callaham is no stranger to developing tentpole projects on high-profile characters like Godzilla, King Kong and Spider-Man. Past writing credits include Godzilla x Kong, The Expendables, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings and Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.
Callaham is repped by UTA and Northstar.
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