22 Mar – With the current success "Beauty and the Beast" is enjoying, it comes as no surprise that Disney is looking at expanding the live-action adaptation with several follow-ups. No, do not expect to see a continuation of Belle and the Beast's happily ever after though, as the studio is determined not to go down that road. "There are currently no plans for a sequel," Walt Disney Head of Production Sean Bailey revealed to Deadline recently. However, the studio will "explore possible spinoff and prequel scenarios". There was no word on whether Emma Watson and Dan Stevens, who star as the eponymous characters in the new live-action version, will be returning for either spinoff or prequel. If they are returning for the prequel, production on that will need to roll out soon as their characters do need to appear younger for such follow-up. Since its release last week (Malaysian fans will only see it next week due to the whole gay debacle), "Beauty and the Beast" has so far collected USD392.48 million worldwide. On its opening weekend in the U.S., it made a record-breaking USD170 million collection – which already covers its USD160 million production budget – while also raking in USD350 million worldwide. Even with that amount, the studio is still reluctant to do a sequel after the abysmal reception towards 2016's "Alice through the Looking Glass", which collected less than USD300 million, a miniscule amount compared to its 2010 predecessor "Alice in the Wonderland's" USD1 billion worldwide gross. Among the other Disney classics that the studio is currently turning into live-action features are "Dumbo" (director Tim Burton is now casting), "The Little Mermaid" (written by "Kingsman 2" screenwriter Jane Goldman), and "The Lion King" (director Jon Favreau puts a halt on "Jungle Book 2" to focus on this musical version). The studio is also working on a "Mary Poppins" sequel starring Emily Blunt, a "101 Dalmatians" spinoff "Cruella" starring Emma Stone, and a "20,000 Leagues Under The Sea" adaptation called "Captain Nemo", to be helmed by "Logan" director James Mangold.