British pop singer Rita Ora has joined Disney+’s latest series, an untitled Beauty and the Beast prequel. Ora announced her excitement on Twitter, saying she would watch the classic Disney movie “over and over” as a child. She attached an adorably ’90s photo of herself dressed as Belle, as so many early aughts kids did. Clearly, she manifested this.
https://twitter.com/RitaOra/status/1490770010112991239
Ora added, “Lately I just feel like all my dreams are coming true! Life is feeling like a Disney movie!” Ora has been pursuing acting after her first role in 2015’s Fifty Shades of Grey and last year’s Twist. She recently signed with a new record deal after releasing an EP last year.
Luke Evans and Josh Gad will reprise their roles as Gaston and LeFou from the 2017 live-action adaptation. Briana Middleton, Fra Fee and Jelani Alladin are also slated to star.
The story takes place well before the infamous ‘tale as old as time’ love story of Belle and The Beast, instead focusing on Gaston (played by Evans) and his sidekick LeFou setting out on an adventure with LeFou’s step-sister, Tilly, played by Middleton. Alan Menken, who scored both the 1991 and 2017 Beauty and the Beast movies, is set to soundtrack the series, along with lyrics from Glenn Slater, known for his work on Disney’s underrated classic, Tangled.
Production is expected to begin this spring.
