Gaston in live-action Beauty and the Beast to be 'more risqué' than original

Disney’s most conceited, muscle-bound narcissist Gaston is set to be even more musky and macho in the forthcoming live-action version of ‘Beauty and the Beast’.

According to composer Alan Menken, there will be lines that were dropped from the original animation, as created by his late collaborator, the legendary lyricist and playwright Howard Ashman.

“In Gaston, we had a treasure trove of lyrics that Howard [Ashman] had written that we did not put in the movie,” Menken told Entertainment Weekly.

“In many cases they were a little bit risqué – not risqué sexually, but risqué in terms of sensibility.

“We all felt ready to have these lyrics. When [director Bill Condon] found out about those lyrics, he said, ‘Oh my god, can we please look at that, because it would be a wonderful way to add an extra freshness to the movie.’

“So, yes, you’re going to hear some unheard Howard Ashman lyrics.

“The guys at Disney reviewed all the transcripts and recordings and they’ve been able to go back through those hours and hours of recorded footage and listen to lyrics that were written and never used, which are actually gems,” he went on to say.

“So, for the [audience members] who know the songs immensely well, which I think is most people, you will hear a few new lines, which are really, really special.”

Ashman and Menken worked on a host of classic musical projects in over a decade of collaboration, including ‘Little Shop of Horrors’, ‘The Little Mermaid’, and ‘Beauty and the Beast’.

Songs of Ashman’s also appeared in ‘Aladdin’, which was released after his death in 1991 of AIDS-related complications. He was just 40-years-old.

The new version of ‘Beauty and the Beast’, starring Emma Watson, Dan Stevens, Josh Gad and Luke Evans as Gaston, is out on March 17, 2017.

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