Disney Develops Live-Action Gaston Film

Disney is developing a new live-action film centered on Gaston, the villainous hunter from the Beauty and the Beast story, according to sources familiar with the project. The film, currently in early stages, marks an original take on the character and does not involve Luke Evans, who portrayed Gaston in the 2017 live-action adaptation.

The project aims to reimagine Gaston with swashbuckling elements, featuring a new actor in the role, likely younger than Evans was at age 39 during the remake. Screenwriter Dave Callaham, known for his work on films such as Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings and Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, is penning the current script. A previous draft was written by Kate Herron and Briony Redman. Michelle Rejwan, a producer with experience on Star Wars projects including Andor and Obi-Wan Kenobi, is overseeing production. No director has been attached yet, and insiders describe the studio as enthusiastic about the concept.

Gaston first appeared as a key antagonist in Disney's 1991 animated feature Beauty and the Beast, an adaptation of the classic French fairy tale. Voiced by Richard White, the character is depicted as an arrogant, self-absorbed...