Frozen's Josh Gad May Return to Disney for Live-Action Beauty and the Beast
(© Tristan Fuge)
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Josh Gad, best known for his Tony-nominated performance in The Book of Mormon and as the jolly voice of Olaf in Frozen, is in final talks to join the cast of Disney's live-action Beauty and the Beast.
If confirmed, Gad would take on the role of Gaston's buffoonish sidekick Le Fou. He would also be the first American to join the film's Brit-filled cast, which already includes Luke Evans (The Hobbit) as Gaston, Dan Stevens (Downton Abbey) as the Beast, and Emma Watson (Harry Potter) as the main protagonist Belle. Gad is also in the midst of another Disney project — Frozen 2 — in which he will reprise his role from the first hit animated film.
Beauty and the Beast features a script written by Evan Spiliotopoulos and rewritten by Stephen Chbosky. It is set to begin production later this year, though no release date has so far been announced.
The Oscar-nominated 1991 animated feature version of Beauty and the Beast grossed more than $375 million worldwide and inspired the long-running Tony-nominated musical, which ran on Broadway for over 13 years.
