*For quite some time there’s been talk about Beyonce joining the cast of the live-action “Lion King,” but now it has been confirmed.
Bey will play Nala, Simba’s (Donald Glover) childhood friend and later love interest. And in the director’s chair is Jon Favreau.
“It is a director’s dream to assemble a talented team like this to bring this classic story to life,” Favreau said in a statement.
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Besides Beyonce and Glover, the other cast members include:
James Earl Jones reprises his role from the 1994 original as Simba’s father Mufasa, while Chiwetel Ejiofor is stepping into the villain role as Simba’s uncle Scar. Alfre Woodard is voicing Simba’s mother Sarabi, with child actor JD McCrary playing the young version of Simba (stepping into the shoes of Jonathan Taylor Thomas from the original film). Shahadi Wright Joseph is voicing the young Nala. Other actors playing the good guys include John Kani as the baboon Rafiki and John Oliver voicing Mufasa’s confidant, the hornbill Zazu.
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According to The Hollywood Reporter, in this version, Simba will meet two new pals, warthog Pumbaa (Seth Rogen) and meerkat Timon (Billy Eichner). The three menacing hyenas will be voiced by Black Panther actress Florence Kasumba, Eric Andre and Keegan-Michael Key.
“The Lion King” is among several live action reboots of Disney animated classics. They include “Cinderella,” “The Jungle Book” (also directed by Favreau), and recently, “Beauty and the Beast,” which so far has made more than $1.2 billion worldwide.
“The Lion King,” which included popular songs like “Circle of Life,” made $968 million at the global box office and spawned a successful and long-running Broadway show.
Look for the new “Lion King” to open July 19, 2019.
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