Alongside Beyonce and
mostly previously announced will be Donald Glover as Simba, James Earl Jones
reprising his role in the 1994 animated movie as Mufasa, and Chiwetel Ejiofor
as his nemesis Scar.
Beyonce is set to voice
Simba’s childhood friend turned love interest Nala in the live-action remake of
Disney’s “The Lion King,” the singer and studio announced Wednesday.
The 36-year-old pop
megastar confirmed the long-rumoured role in a Facebook post that showed
headshots of the voice cast, also revealing that Keegan-Michael Key (“Why
Him?”, “Storks”) will be playing a hyena named Kamari.
Comedian John Oliver was
confirmed as Zazu, while other big names in the production set for release in
July 2019 include Seth Rogan and Billy
Eichner.
“It is a director’s dream
to assemble a talented team like this to bring this classic story to life,”
said director Jon Favreau, who helmed Disney’s hit live-action remake of “The
Jungle Book” (2016), in a statement confirming the cast.
The production will build
on Disney’s hugely lucrative reimagining of that movie and several other
classics from its vaults — including “Beauty and the Beast,” “Maleficent” and
“Cinderella” — for contemporary audiences.
“The Lion King” is one of
the biggest animated films of all time, with a lifetime global box-office gross
of just under $1 billion.
It won Oscars for the song
“Can You Feel the Love Tonight” by Elton John and Tim Rice, and for its score
by Hans Zimmer, plus two Grammy Awards, with the soundtrack selling more than
14 million copies.
The stage production made
its Broadway debut in 1997 and went on to win six Tony Awards.
Translated into eight
languages, the film’s 23 global stage productions have been seen by more than
85 million people. The worldwide gross for the brand exceeds that of any film,
Broadway show or other entertainment title in history.
Stunning early footage of
the live-action version shown at Disney’s D23 fan convention in Southern
California in July climaxed in the iconic moment when Rafiki introduces newborn
Simba to the animals of the savannah.
“This is a story that
belongs to everyone who grew up with the original film,” said Favreau.
“I wanted to demonstrate
that we could be respectful of the source material while bringing it to life
using new techniques and technologies.”
AFP
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