Disney has officially announced the full cast for its upcoming live-action remake The Lion King—adapted from the 1994 screenplay by Irene Mecchi, Jonathan Roberts and Linda Woolverton. The new take on the Disney classic will be helmed by ace director Jon Favreau whose last treat to the world included a dazzling visual spectacle, The Jungle Book, released in April.
Favreau's all-star lineup for The Lion King includes big names from across entertainment industry. Beyonce, who was rumoured to be a part of the project, confirmed her role as Nala—Simba's (Donald Glover) childhood friend turned love interest—in a Facebook post.
“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.
Alongside Beyonce and Donald Glover, James Earl Jones reprises his role in the 1994 original as Simba's father Mufasa, while Chiwetel Ejiofor will be Simba's evil uncle Scar. Comedian John Oliver will voice Mufasa’s friend, the hornbill Zazu and Alfre Woodard will lend her voice to Simba's mother Sarabi. Child actor J.D. McCrary will play the young version of Simba—played by Jonathan Taylor Thomas in the original animation film. The other big names in the star cast include Seth Rogen as Pumbaa and Billy Eichner as Timon.
The film will be produced by Jon Favreau, Karen Gilchrist and Jeffrey Silver, along with co-producer John Bartnicki and associate producer Debbi Bossi.
In July, Favreau showed off the stunning first footage for The Lion King over the summer at Disney's D23 fan convention in California. The footage featured jaw-dropping photo-real shots of African landscapes and wild animals and ended with the iconic moment when on Pride Rock Simba is lifted to the sky by Rafiki as Circle of Life plays.
The original The Lion King, one of the biggest animated films of all time, grossed more than $968 million worldwide. Elton John and Tim Rice won Oscar for best original song for Can You Feel the Love Tonight, while Hans Zimmer took home an Oscar for original score. Speaking high of the film's success and its incredible music, Elton John and Tim Rice were nominated also for songs Circle of Life and Hakuna Matata.
The film is expected to hit the big screen on July 19, 2019.