Yes, really. We just told you last Thursday that The CW had ordered a Beauty and the Beast pilot to move forward with production, and that it is to be an updated reimagining of the 1980’s modern-day TV fantasy series. Now ABC has decided to move forward with their own production of the fairy tale.
EW confirms that the ABC version is the one we told you about last September, from from Jonathan Steinberg (Human Target, Jericho – yes, really) that is said to be “a fantastical re-imagining of the classic fairy tale set in a mythical, dangerous world wherein a beautiful and tough Princess discovers an unlikely connection with a mysterious beast.”
We of course knew this might happen, since we told you a week after the ABC announcement last September that both networks were in fact developing the same-named projects. It’s interesting to note that the ABC version was reportedly going to have a modern-day setting but that the “modern day” aspect now seems to be missing.
We seem to have managed with two Being Humans just fine, and they even had some identical story lines. Once Upon a Time‘s version of “Hansel and Gretel” aired earlier this month, while Grimm‘s version of it comes on this week. Again, we have managed just fine. We therefore scoff at the left-hand gauntlet of Modern Day Reimagining and the right-hand gauntlet of Fantastical Reimagining and, with fantasy-loving fists in the air, retort BRING. THEM. ON.
We’ll keep you posted.