Disney has really gone all in on their live-action adaptations of their classic films lately. Since 2015’s Cinderella, we’ve seen The Jungle Book and Beauty and the Beast clean up at the box office, and they’re soon to be followed by Dumbo, Aladdin, Lady and the Tramp, Mulan, The Little Mermaid, Pinocchio, The Sword in the Stone and Peter Pan. But there’s one Disney animated classic that’s the 800 pound gorilla in their catalogue. We’re talking, of course, about The Lion King, and it’s sounding like we might get a trailer for it imminently.
Directed by Jon Favreau, this reimagining of the 1994 original boasts an impressive cast, including Donald Glover as Simba, Beyonce as Nala, Seth Rogen as Pumbaa, John Oliver as Zazu and James Earl Jones returning as Mufasa. Ever since Favreau impressed audiences and critics alike with his talking CGI animals in The Jungle Book, he’s been seen as the perfect choice for the project and given that he’s currently hard at work on The Mandalorian, you’d assume there’s enough done on The Lion King to give audiences a Thanksgiving peek at it.
This rumor comes courtesy of Skyler Schuler, Editor-in-Chief of The DisInsider and contributor to That Hashtag Show, who earlier tweeted a gif of the sun rising over Mufasa’s kingdom that’ll be familiar to anyone who grew up watching the original. Unfortunately, he wouldn’t give an exact date for when the trailer may arrive, but did tease that it’ll be here soon, with current speculation pointing to possibly this Friday.
Disney were on a real hot streak in the early 90s, with the run of The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin and The Lion King widely regarded as redeeming the studio’s animation output, which was at a low point for much of the 80s. As such, I have absolutely no doubt that the remake will clean up at the box office. In fact, I know from experience that kids of all ages still adore the original and their 90s-born parents are still in love with those toe-tapping songs and faux-Hamlet plot.
As for the first trailer, we’ll have it for you as soon as it’s available so be sure to keep an eye out over the next few days.
