The Beauty and the Beast prequel series is no longer happening. Don't believe us? Ask the dishes.
On Thursday, Feb. 10, news broke that the House of Mouse's streaming service had chosen to scrap the highly anticipated series, which was set to take place prior to the events of the Beauty and the Beast film (the 2017 one, but it's essentially the same as the animated classic). Josh Gad, who was set to revive his LeFou character alongside Luke Evans' Gaston, confirmed the unexpected news on Twitter, writing, "Sadly, 'Tis true. We tried to make it all work but under the gun it wasn't meant to be… for now."
Gad went on to promise that the "characters and this story will live on, but sometimes the best intentions and reality collide and nothing can be done."
This seems to support Deadline's report, which claimed that the show was canceled over creative reasons. Apparently, the scripts and the music were not coming together for the project, causing production delays. It's said the production was already moved once before, from spring to summer.
The prequel, which was supposed to be an eight-episode limited musical series, was the brain child of Gad and Once Upon a Time creators Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz.
Of course, this recent update is surprising because the show had just cast Rita Ora. The "Your Song" singer, who was brought on to play a fugitive with surprising abilities, happily announced on Instagram on Feb. 7, "I can't keep the secret any longer! I'm beyond excited to be joining the cast of the Beauty and the Beast prequel series! As a child, I remember watching Beauty and the Beast with my family over and over and immediately falling in love with the music and characters."
She added, "Never in my wildest dreams could I have imagined joining this fairytale world."
At the time, Gad was elated to have Ora join the cast, commenting on her post, "We are so beyond excited to have you. You are going to destroy this role."
In addition to Gad, Evans and Ora, Beauty and the Beast (the prequel series' working title) was supposed to star Briana Middleton, Fra Fee and Jelani Alladin. Alas, it's a tale as old as time, as many TV shows never make it to the cutting room floor.
For more TV news, click here.