“Nants ingonyama bagithi baba.”
On paper, it looks like double Deutsch but in reality, those are the iconic opening words to “The Circle of Life,” which literally translates to ‘there comes a lion’ – fitting, really, given it’s now synonymous with The Lion King, Disney’s timeless classic which tells the story of a young cub following in his father’s footsteps.
And now, much like many of the studio’s other classics before it, The Lion King is set to receive a fresh lick of paint this summer, when Jon Favreau will be taking us back to the Pride Lands for a live-action remake boasting a truly incredible ensemble cast, which features everyone from Donald Glover (Solo: A Star Wars Story) to Beyoncé to the one and only James Earl Jones.
But beyond the starry line-up, the one thing that’s generating the most attention online is the soundtrack. Indeed, we’ve been told that not every song from the original will be heard in the upcoming film but one tune that we can now confirm will be included is the fan-favorite “Be Prepared,” which was performed by Scar (Jeremy Irons) in the original 1994 flick.
Of course, the remake will also come with some of its own ideas and won’t just be a complete retread of what came before. In addition to a new script from Jeff Nathanson, Favreau’s Lion King will also only feature four songs from the first film, which gives Tim Rice and Beyoncé some breathing room to bring us a whole bunch of fresh and hopefully catchy tunes.
All things considered, it’s looking like this upcoming remake of The Lion King will do gangbusters at the box office, especially given how much of a built in fanbase it already has, and with its July 19th release date quickly approaching, it shouldn’t be too much longer now before we get another look at it.
