ABC orders Beauty and the Beast pilot

ABC has ordered a pilot based around the story of Beauty and the Beast but the news comes just a week after The CW also ordered a pilot based around the story.

Two versions of the same story could be heading to television. The CW and ABC have both ordered pilots for versions of Beauty and the Beast. The CW version, reports Entertainment Weekly, will be loosely based upon the CBS television series which starred Linda Hamilton. The ABC version will be a “fantastical re-imagining of the classic fairy tale” by Jonathan Steinberg.

Given the success of fantasy drama Once Upon A Time it’s hardly surprisingly ABC has ordered a similarly themed fantasy piece. Of course as yet both shows have only received pilot orders so there is a possibility that one of them will not be picked up for a series. It looks like, though, fantasy based on fairy tales are the ‘hot new thing’ with Grimm and Once Upon A Time possibly kicking starting a trend.