According to The Hollywood Reporter, Disney has revealed the full cast for the live-action remake of "The Lion King." Jon Favreau ("Iron Man," and "The Jungle Book"), will be the director of the movie.
Donald Glover ("Atlanta") will be Simba and Beyonce will portray Nala, Simba's childhood friend, and love interest. James Earl Jones reprises his role as Mufasa, with Chiwetel Ejiofor ("Black Panther") portraying Scar, the villain of the movie.
Alfre Woodard will be voicing Sarabi, Simba's mother. The young versions of Simba and Nala will be voiced by JD McCrary and Shahadi Wright, respectively.
Rafiki, the baboon who holds and introduces Simba to the other animals, will be voiced by John Kani. John Oliver will be Zazu, Seth Rogen will portray Pumbaa and Billy Eichner will give his voice to Timon, while Florence Kasuma, Eric Andre, and Keegan-Michael Key will voice the hyenas, Scar's minions.
"The Lion King" will be released on July 19, 2019
Animated movie
Released in 1994, "The Lion King" became a fan-favorite among Disney lovers. With original songs from Elton John ("Can You Feel The Love Tonight") and Tim Rice, the animated movie earned 968 million dollars worldwide.
The original ensemble voice cast included: Matthew Broderick, James Earl Jones, Jeremy Irons, Jonathan Taylor Thomas, Rowan Atkinson, Whoopi Goldberg and Jim Cummings.
Over the years, the movie got sequels and projects involving the characters. An example is "The Lion King's - Timon and Pumbaa," a TV series that ran for three seasons and had 85 episodes between 1995 and 1999. Disney has also released two direct-to-video films. The first was "The Lion King II: Simba's Pride," released in 1998 and tells the story of Kiara, Simba and Nala's daughter, who falls in love with Kovu, a male lion raised in a pride of Scar's followers.
The second direct-to-video movie was "The Lion King 1 1/2," a prequel showing how Timon and Pumbaa met.
In 2016, Disney Junior broadcast "The Lion Guard: Return of the Roar," a series tells the tale of Kion, the younger brother of Kiara, who becomes the leader of The Lion Guard, a group of animals designated to protect the Circle of Life.
Broadway
Developed by Disney Theatrical Productions, a stage adaptation of the animated movie was created in 1997, with music by Elton John, lyrics by Tim Rice, musical score by Hans Zimmer, and choral arrangements by Lebo M.
"The Lion King" was nominated for 11 Tony Awards and won six.
The show has been produced in several countries, like Australia, Korea, Brazil, France, Mexico, Spain and the United Kingdom.
