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You can never tell which Disney live-action remakes are going to land and which ones are going to flop. However, even with all the confidence in the world that 2017’s Beauty and The Beast would find itself in the former category, no one could have predicted how massive it would eventually become. It’s gotten to the point where a Disney+ prequel series is in the works, and now fans are probably wondering: could this new series spark a renewed interest in a follow-up movie? The Beast himself, actor Dan Stevens, certainly has some thoughts on the subject.
I was lucky enough to ask Mr. Stevens about this subject when we sat down to talk about his latest film I’m Your Man. Playing a humanoid robot named Tom, this new character in Dan Stevens’ insanely impressive resume is a world away from the formerly cursed Disney prince. Between his own immense pride for partaking in the project and all of the talk surrounding Luke Evans and Josh Gad’s Disney+ prequel Little Town, it’s hard not to ask questions. In his answer about a hypothetical Beauty and the Beast sequel, Stevens provided the following musings:
Well, I...who knows? I think anything’s possible, with that kind of news. So yeah, we’ll just have to see.
The concept of a sequel to Beauty and the Beast’s flesh and blood retelling isn’t something that’s come out of the blue. The original ending to the 2017 remake would have actually seen Gaston cursed by the same enchantress that turned Dan Stevens into his hairier self. Though even if that idea is 100% scrapped, Emma Watson has provided even more ideas for a hypothetical Beauty and the Beast 2, which could focus on how the now-human Beast deals with his second chance at life, as well as Belle’s potential career as a schoolteacher. Ideas are not in short supply, should Disney want to wave its wand.
What’s even more interesting is the fact that Beauty and the Beast was budgeted, on the high end, at an estimated $255 million. Now granted, Disney might be a little shy to fork over that much cash to a sequel. That being said, in light of $1.26 billion the first film raked in during its box office run, and Dan Stevens’ fond memories of the project, you’d think there would be some sort of movement four years later.
The best hope for Beauty and the Beast’s potential sequel almost totally lies with how Little Town performs on Disney+. Though Dan Stevens certainly hasn’t written off the prospect of getting back into his beastly habits. So the future might truly bring anything, if the ideas are flowing, and the higher ups see the world still under the spell of that tale as old as time.
For the moment, the good news is that you can see Dan Stevens winning hearts through the rumba and the German language when I’m Your Man opens in theaters on September 24. Which is also a great reminder that the next movie you fall in love with might be on the 2021 release schedule right this very moment. And if you want to relive the magic of Beauty and the Beast, in either of its forms, check out The Disney Bundle, which grants you access to Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+ for one convenient subscription.
