Disney Casts Josh Gad As LeFou For Live Action ‘Beauty And The Beast’

With Cinderella on track to make $70 million in its opening weekend, it seems like Disney’s hit yet another gold mine in repurposing their classic animated films for live action (especially if you count the impressive performance of Maleficent, which hit theaters in the middle of last year). Beauty And The Beast is another movie in Disney’s long list of upcoming reinterpretations that is getting a lot of attention. So far, we know that Emma Watson will be starring as Belle, Dan Stevens as the role of Beast, and Luke Evans as the egotistical Gaston.

And now, according to Variety, Josh Gad is in final talks to join the roster of talented actors in the role of LeFou, Gaston’s bumbling sycophantic sidekick. While the Hollywood star isn’t a household name just yet, he has had his fair share of big roles, not the least of which is Olaf in the Disney animated film, Frozen(and many fans likely remember Gad’s memorable stint in New Girl as Bear Claw).

The casting of Gad as LeFou is perfect on a couple of levels. Not only does he actually look like the character, but Beauty And The Beast, like its animated counterpart, is a musical. As such, Gad’s experience in Broadway musicals as like The Book Of Mormon is bound to come in handy.

In an interview with Telegraph, Emma Watson has expressed anxiousness at belting it out on the big screen–not that she is incapable my any means, but rather she isn’t used to doing it on camera (via Cinema Blend).

“I sing, so that’s really unexpected. I’ve never had to do that for a film role before, and I think people will be interested to see me do something very different like that. It gives me a different challenge, really. That’s terrifying in and of itself!”

Perhaps having an experienced Broadway star like Josh Gad in the film can help to alleviate some of that fear for Watson.

As mentioned prior, Beauty And The Beast is only one of many Disney animated films making the leap into live action. Other films to look forward to are The Jungle Book, which is to be directed by Jon Favreau (Iron Man), and Dumbo, which is to be directed by Tim Burton (Alice In Wonderland).

Are you looking forward to this latest interpretation of Beauty And The Beast? Let us know in the comments down below!