WIRE Buzz: Marathon to celebrate Grant Imahara; Luke Evans talks Gaston & LeFou; more

Discovery and the Science Channel, in celebration of Mythbusters and White Rabbit Project co-host Grant Imahara’s life, will be airing a marathon of the shows he starred in this weekend. The 49-year-old creator, builder, and engineer died suddenly earlier this week from a brain aneurysm, leaving both his close friends and fans in shock.

According to Deadline, the marathon will highlight Imahara’s favorite moments from Mythbusters as well as feature his involvement in Killer Robots: Robo Games 2011, where he guides viewers through the intricacies of an International Robogames Competition. The marathon will also end with the White Rabbit Project episode “May G Force Be With You,” where Imahara and his co-hosts Kari Byron and Tory Belleci test whether roller coaster riders, race car drivers, or bobsledders face the biggest G-force rush.

Those who want to tune in can go to the Discovery Channel on July 17 from 8 a.m. through 1 p.m ET, and the Science Channel from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. ET on July 18. See more details on the programming lineup here.

According to Variety, actor Luke Evans, aka Gaston in the live-action remake of Beauty and the Beast, is getting geared up to reprise his role in the upcoming Disney+ series about Gaston and LeFou (Josh Gad). “Josh and I have read two or three episodes now,” Evans said during Variety’s podcast, The Big Ticket. “We’ve heard some of the new songs written by Mr. [Alan] Menken himself.”

Those excited to see Evans and Gad together again may not have wait too long, either.

“Because we were sort of the fun characters that people laughed at, we would often talk about doing an at-home with Gaston and LeFou, or LeFou and Gaston go on a road trip, or LeFou and Gaston have a cooking show,” Evans said, when asked about whether he thought a prequel about GaFou would ever see the light of day. “It’s all come together very nicely, rather quickly actually, and hopefully production will start sometime next year."

Speaking of Beauty and the Beast, Disney+ also announced the release of a documentary celebrating the life of Academy Award-winning lyricist Howard Ashman. The film, appropriately called Howard, will start streaming on the platform starting Aug. 7, and will chronicle Ashman’s influence as a lyricist on Disney classics like Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast, and The Little Mermaid.

Those looking to get a sampling of the film can check out the trailer here:

“You may not know his name, but you sure know Howard Ashman’s music,” director, writer, and producer Don Hahn said in a statement. “He’s one of the greatest storytellers of the twentieth century who helped to revitalize the American musical and re-energize Disney Animation. He left us a songbook that still lives on in us today, yet his personal story has never been fully told until now.”

The film follows Ashman’s career, including his untimely death from AIDS, and also interviews his longtime musical collaborator Alan Menken, who is currently crafting the songs for the Gaston and LeFou Disney+ prequel series, among other projects.