Disney’s live-action Beauty And The Beast remake has found its comedy relief in the shape of Frozen‘s Josh Gad. The announcement now places the actor as the only American set to appear alongside the trio of Brits locked in for starring roles. Harry Potter alum Emma Watson nabbed the part of Belle in January; Dracula Untold‘s Luke Evans is reportedly in line to play the villainous Gaston; and Downton Abbey star Dan Stevens is engaged to play the titular Beast.
Taking charge of the reboot is director Bill Condon (Gods and Monsters, Twilight: Breaking Dawn), who will work from a script by Stephen Chbosky (The Perks of Being a Wallflower).
Per THR, who broke the news, Disney is aiming to forgo a strict remake of the source material and instead sculpt a revamped version more in line with the 1991 animated caper. Proof of this originates in the simple fact of who Gad will be playing. The site reports that he will tackle the part of Le Fou, “the buffoonish and loyal sidekick to the manly hunter Gaston” who is a character specifically created for the 1991 outing.
Before Gad transforms into Gaston’s minion for Beauty And The Beast he’s got several other projects in the pipeline. Today’s news arrives one day after Disney announced that Gad would reprise his Olaf role for animated sequel Frozen 2. He’ll also trot out that vocal performance for spinoff short Frozen Fever, that’s set to open in front of today’s Cinderella. Shifting from the world of Disney animation, Gad can next be spotted in this summer’s video game comedy Pixels alongside Adam Sandler and Peter Dinklage.
