Disney’s Not Done Yet: A Live-Action Gaston Feature Is In The Works

Disney will continue to mine its animated canon for live-action gold, this time with a feature headlining Gaston, the bombastic antagonist who’s roughly the size of a barge from Beauty and the Beast.

First reported by Deadline, the project is in early development and will focus on a new, original story for the character rather than directly adapting material from the 1991 animated classic or its 2017 blockbuster live-action remake. Dave Callaham (Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings) is working on the screenplay, with major franchise producer Michelle Rejwan producing. No director is currently attached, and the studio has not announced a release timeline.

According to the report, a Gaston project has been quietly in development at the studio for some time now, with previous drafts written by Kate Herron and Briony Redman. The story also says Disney is enthusiastic about the concept and sees potential in reframing Gaston as the lead of a standalone story. The film is expected to feature a more swashbuckling tone, in line with the “Gaston” drinking song and iconic barroom scene pictured above, and introduce a new actor in the role, rather than bringing back Luke Evans, who played the role in the 2017 remake.

Rejwan brings extensive franchise experience to the production, having worked closely with Disney on major Star Wars projects during her tenure overseeing live-action development at Lucasfilm. Callaham likewise has a track record in large-scale studio filmmaking, with writing credits spanning major action, superhero, and animated features.

As Disney continues to experiment with villain-centric and character-driven spinoffs, the Gaston project reinforces the studio’s ongoing effort to stretch its animated library beyond straightforward remakes, as it continues to struggle launching fresh IPs in either the live-action or animated space.

That strategy comes with more uncertainty than straightforward remakes. Direct live-action and CG-animated adaptations such as Beauty and the Beast ($1.26 billion), Aladdin ($1.05 billion), and The Lion King ($1.65 billion) have consistently delivered outsized box office returns. It feels like a safe bet that next year’s Moana will continue that trend.

Spinoff concepts that reframe supporting characters or antagonists have been less reliable, although still profitable – Maleficent ($758 million), Maleficent: Mistress of Evil ($491 million), and Cruella ($233.5 million). Non-studio adaptations of previously Disney-animated IPs, including Snow White and the Huntsman ($396 million) and The Huntsman: Winter’s War ($165 million), show similarly diminishing returns.

With audience enthusiasm for live-action reinterpretations showing signs of fatigue, projects that move further away from the original narratives may face a steeper climb than the studio’s more familiar, beat-for-beat remakes. But as long as people keep showing up, Disney will surely keep mining these franchises for all they’re worth.