When is The Lion King out?
The highly-anticipated remake will be released on July 19, 2019.
Disney has released an official synopsis which reads: “Director Jon Favreau’s all-new The Lion King journeys to the African savanna where a future king is born.
“Simba idolises his father, King Mufasa, and takes to heart his own royal destiny. But not everyone in the kingdom celebrates the new cub’s arrival.
“Scar, Mufasa’s brother—and former heir to the throne—has plans of his own. The battle for Pride Rock is ravaged with betrayal, tragedy and drama, ultimately resulting in Simba’s exile.
“With help from a curious pair of newfound friends, Simba will have to figure out how to grow up and take back what is rightfully his.”
Who is in the cast of The Lion King?
Beyoncé leads the A-list cast as Nala, the young lioness who is best friends with Donald Glover’s Simba.
The Formation singer’s involvement has long been rumoured, and was confirmed when she shared a poster of the cast on her Facebook page.
Fans were quick to share their joy at the casting news, with one tweeting: “It’s not called the Lion King anymore. If Beyoncé’s in it, it’s the Lion Queen.”
James Earl Jones will reprise his role of Simba’s father Mufasa from the 1994 original, with his villainous brother Scar set to be played by British actor Chiwetel Ejiofor.
Desperate Housewives star Alfre Woodward will voice Simba’s mother and Mufasa’s wife Sarabi.
Comedian Billy Eichner and Pineapple Express star Seth Rogan will sing “Hakuna Matata” as Timon and Pumbaa, with South African actor John Kani as Rafiki.
Eric Andre, Florence Kasumba and Keegan Michael-Key will voice the hyenas Azizi, Shenzi and Kamari, with John Oliver as the hornbill Zazu.
Completing the cast is child actors JD McCrary and Shahadi Wright Joseph as younger versions of Simba and Nala.
How is the Lion King being remade?
The highly-anticipated film follows Disney’s recent slate of live-action remakes, the most recent of which – last year’s Beauty and the Beast – made more than $1 billion.
With no human characters in the film, it isn’t yet clear how, if it all, Disney will create a “live-action” update.
An official synopsis teased that the remake will “utilise pioneering filmmaking techniques to bring treasured characters to life in a whole new way”.
It is expected that the Lion King will borrow and improve on CGI techniques used in last year’s Jungle Book remake, which was also directed by Jon Favreau.