Rita Ora to star in Beauty and the Beast prequel series from Disney Plus

Beauty and the Beast
(Image credit: Disney)

British pop star Rita Ora has joined the cast of Disney Plus's upcoming Beauty and the Beast prequel series. 

The singer is set to play "a fugitive with surprising abilities who carries with her a secret that could potentially affect an entire kingdom." (via Deadline) Ora stars alongside Josh Gad and Luke Evans, who is set to reprise their roles of the villainous Gaston and his spaced-out sidekick, LeFou, from the 2017 live-action film that featured Emma Watson and Dan Stevens as the titular roles. 

The prequel series, set years before Belle enters the picture, follows Gaston and LeFou as they set out on an unexpected journey to help LeFou’s stepsister, Tilly (Briana Middleton) after uncovering a surprising revelation from Tilly’s past. The cast also includes Hawkeye’s Fra Fee and Broadway star Jelani Alladin.

Gad is also serving as co-screenwriter and co-showrunner alongside Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz, creators of the hit fantasy series Once Upon A Time.

The series will feature original songs by composer Alan Menken, who scored the 1991 animated adaptation, as well as The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, Newsies, and countless others.

Ora is perhaps best known for pop hits like Let Me Love You and I Will Never Let You Down. She previously starred in Fifty Shades of Grey and currently serves as a judge on The Masked Singer. Because the prequel is a musical, it’s safe to assume that the singer will be lending her voice to the show.

Discover what’s currently streaming on with the best movies on Disney Plus to watch right now.

Lauren Milici
Senior Writer, Tv & Film

Lauren Milici is a Senior Entertainment Writer for GamesRadar+ currently based in the Midwest. She previously reported on breaking news for The Independent's Indy100 and created TV and film listicles for Ranker. Her work has been published in Fandom, Nerdist, Paste Magazine, Vulture, PopSugar, Fangoria, and more.

Read more
Tiana in The Princess and the Frog
TV show based on underrated Disney movie quietly cancelled amid streaming shake up
Lisa in The White Lotus season 3
The White Lotus star says that fans are "gonna lose their minds" at K-pop star Lisa's acting debut in the hit HBO show
Charli XCX
Charlie XCX is in talks to star in Greta Gerwig’s The Chronicles of Narnia movie - and that is so Brat
Brittany Snow as Alice in The Night Agent season 2
The Night Agent star had no idea his season 2 co-star originally auditioned to play the Netflix show's female lead
Doctor Who season 2
Doctor Who season 2 reveals release date that's very soon after leak – and announces an X-Men guest star
Creature Commandos
Creature Commandos star Maria Bakalova talks playing evil for the first time and that dramatic finale reveal: "I've never played the villain before"
Latest in Fantasy Shows
Dexter Sol Ansell as Egg and Peter Claffey as Dunk in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms
HBO boss says new Game of Thrones spin-off's battles "match" the mainline series at a "fraction of the price"
Abubakar Salim in House of the Dragon
House of the Dragon season 3's opening battle is "beastly", according to one of the show's stars
Jamie Campbell Bower in Stranger Things
The Rings of Power newcomer Jamie Campbell Bower has 'revealed' his season 3 character – but it could be a Sauron-style misdirect
Jamie Campbell Bower in Stranger Things 4
Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power season 3 adds Stranger Things star and Eddie Marsan to cast
Jeff Goldblum in Kaos
Jeff Goldblum's fantasy series Kaos was Netflix's most-watched cancelled show of late 2024
The Wheel of Time season 3
The Wheel of Time showrunner teases future of the Amazon fantasy series beyond season 3: "My job is to do everything I can to get it to the end"
Latest in News
The Blood of Dawnwalker
The Witcher 3 dev says his new vampire RPG Blood of Dawnwalker wants to challenge genre conventions, but only if "we're changing them to actually achieve some goal"
Daredevil recap: The Defenders
Marvel fans are discussing which of the Netflix series characters would have survived the Blip
A misty, forested mountainside in Prologue: Go Wayback!
PUBG creator's wilderness survival game actually draws inspiration from an unexpected place - a whole raft of zombie games like DayZ, Project Zomboid, and Left 4 Dead
The Blood of Dawnwalker: A screenshot of the vampire Brencis holding up a crown during the trailer for the upcoming game.
The Witcher 3 devs created a Jekyll & Hyde-style character for their new vampire RPG "because nobody yet has done that"
Charlie Cox as Matt Murdock in Daredevil: Born Again
Daredevil fans are wondering if Born Again season 2 will set up a darker comic book arc for Matt Murdock
Theo James as Hal in Osgood Perkins' The Monkey
It might only be March, but Stephen King adaptation The Monkey is now the highest grossing horror movie of 2025