Glen Powell cast as fan-favorite Disney villain in 'Beauty and the Beast' prequel
Glen Powell is one of the most popular actors in Hollywood at the moment. To date, he has starred in lucrative projects like 'Anyone But You,' 'Hit Man,' and 'Top Gun: Maverick.' Now he is reportedly set to grace another popular IP. As per updates from popular scooper MyTimeToShineHello and The InSneider's Jeff Sneider, Powell will play the notorious Gaston in Disney's upcoming 'Beauty and the Beast' prequel. According to Deadline, the movie will specifically focus on the local hunter who eventually becomes Beast's rival. The venture was announced in development in December of last year. Nothing much is known about the plot except that it will apparently have a "swashbuckling" tone. Disney has not yet officially announced the casting, but considering the timing of rumors, an update can be expected at the D23 Expo this weekend.
Powell's next high-profile appearance is in Season 2 of 'Chad Powers,' as the titular character. The sophomore installment is set to premiere on September 3. The actor has been around for a long time and is very choosy about his projects. He famously rejected 'Jurassic World: Rebirth' because he found the role unsatisfactory. "I'm not doing that movie because I read the script and I immediately was like, my presence in this movie doesn't help it ... It's about choosing where you're going to make an audience happy and where you're going to make yourself happy," he shared with The Hollywood Reporter. This clearly means that the actor does not take parts even if they are from big IPs if the role is not appealing to him. Gaston's character must have intrigued him a lot to sign on to the project.
Dave Callaham is writing the script, and Michelle Rejwan is on board as a producer. Previously, Rejwan was in charge of live-action projects at Lucasfilm. In this capacity, she brought to life projects like 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens,' 'Andor, Obi-Wan Kenobi,' and 'Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.' Callaham has previously written for ventures like 'Godzilla x Kong,' 'The Expendables,' 'Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings,' and 'Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.' Luke Evans played Gaston in the 2017 live-action adaptation of 'Beauty and the Beast.' His performance in the billion-dollar venture was so well-received that Disney began planning a TV series starring him and based on the character. The project was shelved, and the prequel movie became the priority. Sources suggest that Powell will play a new and original version. 'Beauty and the Beast' is currently streaming on Disney+.
