After the massive success of live-action remakes like The Jungle Book and Beauty and the Beast, it was a no-brainer for Disney to next tackle one of their most beloved films to date – 1994 classic The Lion King.
With Jon Favreau attached to direct, the project has been amassing its cast for the past few months. Donald Glover’s signed up to voice Simba, with James Earl Jones reprising his role as Simba’s father, Mufasa. More recently, Billy Eichner and Seth Rogen were revealed to be playing meerkat/warthog double act Timon and Pumbaa, while Chiwetel Ejiofor signed on not too long ago for the part of Scar.
Now, the Mouse House has completed the casting process, releasing the photo below to show off just who will be playing who in their remake of the beloved animated pic:
Pretty impressive, right? While a lot of these cast members had already been revealed, it’s still nice to get a complete look at everyone who’ll be involved. Not to mention that this also offers up confirmation that Beyoncé is indeed taking on the role of Nala, after the pop star had flirted with the part for the past few months.
“It is a director’s dream to assemble a talented team like this to bring this classic story to life,” said Favreau in a press release sent out by Disney.
Behind the scenes, Jeff Nathanson (Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales) is the screenwriter attached to the latest draft, and after the back-to-back success of The Jungle Book and Beauty and the Beast, the Mouse House will be hoping to make it three for three with live-action remakes.
Of course, The Lion King is just one of a whole host of classic Disney animated properties being given a new coat of paint. Others on the way include Dumbo, Mulan and Aladdin. The tale of the flying elephant is first out the door, with a release date of March 29th, 2019. The story of Simba and his pals is then set to land in cinemas on July 19th.