Disney's "The Lion King" live-action might have found its Scar. Academy award nominee Chiwetel Ejiofor is reportedly being eyed to play the villainous uncle that drove Simba with guilt following the death of Mufasa.

The Wrap reported that Chiwetel Ejiofor is currently in talks with the studio to board "The Lion King." If he agrees to the role, he will join a stellar ensemble that includes Donald Glover as Simba, James Earl Jones as Mufasa, Seth Rogen as Pumbaa, Billy Eichner as Timon and John Oliver as Zazu.

Jeremy Irons voiced Scar in the animated version of "The Lion King," which Disney released in 1994.

The film became the highest grossing animated movie of all time.

Hugh Jackman original choice for Scar?

Rumors previously surfaced that Hugh Jackman was supposed to play Scar in this Jon Favreau adaptation. Fans assumed that the "Wolverine" actor was going to be part of the cast because of a post he shared on social media while he was at Disneyland.

But representatives of Hugh Jackman were quick to deny the rumors that he's playing Scar in "The Lion King." The actor’s rep told The Wrap that there was “absolutely no truth” to all the speculations.

Beyonce joining too?

Meanwhile, aside from Chiwetel Ejiofor, pop superstar Beyonce is also reportedly in talks to play Nala, Simba’s girlfriend in “The Lion King.”

Beyonce's fan group on Twitter, The Beyhive, announced that they have exclusive information that the "Lemonade" singer was negotiating a $25 million deal with Disney, which will include producing the soundtrack to the movie.

Beyonce is also reportedly Jon Favreau’s only choice and he’s been wooing her to join “The Lion King” since the start of the year.

Disney, however, has not yet confirmed if there are indeed talks with Beyonce.

Filmed with virtual reality tool

While this is supposed to be a live-action take on the animated movie, Jon Favreau will make use of a virtual reality tool to give life to the characters in “The Lion King.” The director used the same technique when he directed the live-action version of “The Jungle Book,” which Disney released in October 2016.

Jon Favreau presented some clips from the movie during the last D23 event. According to The Hollywood Reporter, those who have exclusively seen the short footage described the director’s work as “jaw-dropping.”

Disney has scheduled “The Lion King” live-action for a July 2019 run in theaters. Full production is set to start this coming fall.
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