The confusion will continue to be sure as two pilots of the same name are out there, though it’s expected the ABC version will get more buzz overall as it attempts to recreate more of the Once Upon a Time magic with their version of Beauty and the Beast, which will use the classic fairytale as its backdrop. The first bit of casting news has come out of it with Chris Egan signing on to the production, though it’s not in the lead role as the two main roles have yet to be cast, unlike the CW version which just announced Kristin Kreuk as the Beauty for theirs. Egan had an intriguing pilot lined up last year that didn’t make it to series with Poe, an 18th century police procedural. Beauty and the Beast is being penned by Jon Steinberg with Yives Simoneau set to direct the pilot.
Plot concept: A fantasy re-imagining of the classic Beauty and the Beast tale wherein an embattled princess, Grace, discovers an unlikely connection with a mysterious beast. Egan, repped by WME and Anonymous Content, will play one of the leads, Grace’s fiance Gorrick, who is her father’s most trusted soldier.
[Source: Deadline]
