Simba returns, and he looks much more human this time around.
For in Jon Favreau’s reboot of The Lion King, all your favorites from the Pride Lands – from Nala to Mufasa and everyone in between – will receive the live-action treatment in what promises to be one of the most star-studded Disney movies ever created.
Indeed, one glance at the casting docket reveals that Beyoncé Knowles-Carter and James Earl Jones (Star Wars) have signed on to voice Nala and Mufasa, respectively, while Chiwetel Ejiofor is poised to take point as the villainous Scar. And it gets even better, as Donald Glover (Atlanta, Solo: A Star Wars Story) will headline Disney’s rebooted fairytale as Simba, the lion who would be king.
Still incubating in the bowels of development, The Lion King isn’t quite ready to show off any footage, but thanks to director Jon Favreau, today brings forth the next best thing: a candid photo of Favreau and Glover hanging out on set. Coming to us by way of Twitter, the caption reads: “Simba returns.” Oh, and a lion emoji.
On the other side of the lens, 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, Disney will be hoping to make it three for three with live-action remakes.
Jon Favreau and Co. will officially invite moviegoers onto the Pride Lands when The Lion King roars into theaters on July 19th, 2019. Some footage was shown at D23 earlier this year – a live-action version of the Circle of Life, apparently – so surely it won’t be too long before the Mouse House releases that teaser trailer onto the interwebs for all to see, right?
