British singer Rita Ora—who you might also know as Taika Waititi’s partner, Fifty Shades of Grey actress, or Who Weekly? podcast muse—has been cast in Disney+’s Beauty and the Beast prequel series.
Ora joins Luke Evans and Josh Gad, who are reprising their roles of burly villain Gaston and his starry-eyed sidekick LeFou, respectively, from the 2017 live-action film starring Emma Watson. The new series is set years before Belle accidentally stumbled into the Beast’s world of enchanted roses and dancing dinner plates, and follows Gaston and LeFou as they embark on an unexpected journey with LeFou's stepsister, Tilly (Briana Middleton of The Tender Bar), to uncover a mystery from her past.
According to Deadline, Ora will play “a fugitive with surprising abilities who carries with her a secret that could potentially affect an entire kingdom.” The pop singer and reality TV judge has previously acted in Fifty Shades of Grey, Empire, and the critically panned 2021 film Twist.
In an Instagram post on Monday, Ora wrote: “I can’t keep the secret any longer! I’m beyond excited to be 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. Never in my wildest dreams could I have imagined joining this fairytale world.”
The Beauty and the Beast prequel series will be a musical with songs by EGOT honoree Alan Menken, who’s behind some of Disney’s most iconic soundtracks, including the 1991 animated version of Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, and Hercules, just to name a few.
Gad is the creator and co-runner of the show, alongside Once Upon a Time creators Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz. Production is set to begin this spring.
