ABC's 'Beauty And The Beast' Casts Beast

EXCLUSIVE: Scottish platinum-selling singer and stage actor Darius Campbell has landed the male lead in ABC’s drama pilot Beauty And The Beast, a fantasy re-imagining of the classic Beauty and the Beast tale wherein an embattled princess, Grace, discovers an unlikely connection with a mysterious beast, Shiro (Campbell), a mercenary bodyguard. On the project, Campbell joins recently cast Chris Egan who plays Grace’s fiance Gorrick. (The Grace role is yet to be cast). Campbell, who is virtually unknown in the U.S., rose to fame in the U.K. as a finalist on Popstars and Pop Idol. He has starred in a number of West End musicals, including Chicago and Guys And Dolls. This marks the biggest TV acting gig for Campbell whose previous experience includes a guest spot on an U.K. drama series. He is repped by Mosaic, ICM and UK’s Conway van Gelder. Yves Simoneau is directing Beauty And The Beast from a script by Jon Steinberg for ABC Studios and Gary Fleder’s Mojo Films.