Josh Gad has made a pretty good career out of being the chubby sidekick. From THE ROCKER to LOVE AND OTHER DRUGS to the more recent JOBS and THE WEDDING RINGER, Gad has proven to be adept at the hijinks as well as musical stylings. Coming to fame in the Broadway musical BOOK OF MORMON, Gad took part in the phenomenon that was FROZEN where he voiced the somewhat chubby snowman Olaf. Now, Gad is about to voice another chubby sidekick for another Disney musical, this time a live-action one.
The Hollywood Reporter has Gad taking the role of La Fou, Gaston's sidekick, in BEAUTY AND THE BEAST. He will join Dan Stevens, Luke Evans, and Emma Watson who will play The Beast, Gaston, and Belle, respectively. The film will be directed by Bill Condon and is said to be a faithful version of the 1991 animated musical.
Disney has been remaking all of their animated masterpieces in recent years. Some, like MALEFICENT and ALICE IN WONDERLAND, have been reimaginings of the original fairy tales. CINDERELLA, which opened today, is more of a remake of the animated movie. BEAUTY AND THE BEAST was launched as a Broadway musical itself, so it could pull from both that production and the movie for musical inspiration.
Gad's role will primarily feature pratfalls and injuries delivered by his boss, Gaston, so I wouldn't expect much in the way of dramatic performance in the part. Still, he will get to sing one of the more memorable numbers if they keep it in the finished film.
BEAUTY AND THE BEAST goes into production this year. There is currently no release date.