Hollywood is a nutty place. Disney rereleases its animated classic “Beauty and Beast” in 3D. All the TV execs take their kids to see it. Suddenly there are orders for TWO “Beauty and the Beast” pilots.
This strange turn of events was facilitated by the fact that Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve’s “La Belle et la Bête” was originally published in 1740 and is very much in the public domain.
The CW’s pilot is loosely based on the 1980s CBS series starring Linda Hamilton and Ron Perlman. It’s being written by “Brothers & Sisters” vets Jennifer Levin and Sherri Cooper.
ABC’s pilot was more inspired by the success of “Once Upon A Time" and is being scripted by Jonathan Steinberg, who helped mastermind both “Jericho” and Fox’s 2010 version of “Human Target.”
There’s a chance that both series could be simultaneously greenlit to series! It could happen!
Remember 1994? When NBC and CBS both launched ensemble dramas set in Chicago hospitals on Thursdays at 10 p.m.? Or the fall of 2004? When NBC’s “Surface” and ABC’s “Invasion” both hit the air? Or 2006? When NBC launched two series inspired by the people backstage at “Saturday Night Live”? Or 2011, when NBC’s “Grimm” and ABC’s “Once Upon A Time” both debuted?
Find James Hibberd’s Entertainment Weekly story on the matter here.
