ABC's 'Beauty and the Beast' Ordered to Pilot

Disney

Disney's 1991 "Beauty and the Beast"

ABC is making it a pair of Beauty and the Beast reboots this pilot season.

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The female-skewing network is moving forward with its reimagining of the classic fairy tale set in a mythical, dangerous world where a beautiful and tough princess discovers an unlikely connection with a mysterious beast.

Human Target scribe Jonathan E. Steinberg (Jericho) will pen the project with Gary Fleder (Life Unexpected) and Mary Beth Basile (October Road) attached to executive produce the ABC Studios project through their Mojo Films shingle.

ABC's Beauty and the Beast update comes as the network has found success with freshman fairy tale Once Upon a Time, the dual universe drama revolving around Snow White (Ginnifer Goodwin) and her long-lost daughter (Jennifer Morrison).

It also marks the second Beauty and the Beast project ordered to pilot this month, joining the CW's modern-day take on the 1980s CBS drama that starred Ron Perlman as Vincent (aka the Beast) and Linda Hamilton as Catherine (the Beauty).

Felicity's Jennifer Levin and Brothers and Sisters' Sherri Cooper are attached to pen the project and executive produce alongside Paul Witt, C. Anthony Thomas, Ron Koslow and Bill Haber.

The ABC update is the latest in a long line of remakes of the classic tale.

Disney's 1991 animated feature, featuring the voices of Angela Lansbury and Jerry Orbach, among others, grossed more than $387 million worldwide.

The 1987 CBS live-action drama starring Ron Perlman as Vincent (aka the Beast) and Linda Hamilton and Catherine (the Beauty) ran for three seasons.

More recently, last year's feature adaptation of Alex Finn's 2007 novel Beastly, starring Alex Pettyfer and Vanessa Hudgens, collected $28 million domestically.

Email: Lesley.Goldberg@thr.com; Twitter: @Snoodit