No one in town is as admired as Gaston, and that means Luke Evans might become more popular soon. Variety reports that the actor is in talks to portray Gaston in Disney’s live-action reboot of Beauty and the Beast. In the 1991 animated film, the brutish and handsome villain is insufferable. He’s arrogant, he’s sexist, he doesn’t like books without pictures, and he has a deplorable diet. Eating five dozen eggs every morning isn’t healthy, Gaston!

Gif via Disney

If cast, Evan would star alongside Emma Watson’s Belle. We don’t know any specifics about the Bill Condon film, and it’s hard to say how closely they’ll follow the animated feature. The live-action Maleficent inserted some twists into the Sleeping Beauty story, but the upcoming live-action Cinderella looks like it sticks to the story we know. Beauty and the Beast could be a tale as old as time, but for all we know, it will turn things around and make Gaston a sympathetic figure rather than a tool. Oh man, I hope they don’t go that far because I want to see Watson’s Belle put Gaston in his place so badly.

I have a hard time picturing Evans as the awful Gaston we love to hate, but hey, he’s an actor. He’s capable of figuring it out. And he’s right at home with the fantasy genre given his recent starring roles in Dracula Untold as Vlad and The Hobbit as Bard the Bowman.

What do you think about Evans playing Gaston? Head to the comments and share your opinion on that and go ahead and share your favorite Gaston quote with us too.

HT: Variety