Whether you like it or not, Disney is bringing all your animated childhood favorites into the live-action/CG realm. Despite seeing varying degrees of success with their efforts, critically at least, these films make a ton of money at the box office for the studio. Their most recent stab at updating one of their classics, Beauty and the Beast, is proof of that. As such, we can expect the trend to continue long into the future and one of the next outings for the Mouse House is none other than The Lion King.
Jon Favreau is in the director’s chair here, after doing a wonderful job with The Jungle Book – and making Disney a boatload of money on it – and already, the cast is starting to come together. We know that both Donald Glover and James Earl Jones are on board to voice Simba and Mufasa, respectively, and tonight, Variety is telling us that Beyonce is being eyed for the role of Nala. The singer hasn’t agreed to the part just yet, but apparently, the director is adamant on having her sign on and is willing to do “whatever it takes to accommodate her schedule.”
Admittedly, we’re not too sure that The Lion King really needs a remake, but if we’re going to be getting one, this is certainly the type of talent we’d like to see involved. As mentioned above, the director impressed with The Jungle Book and the prospect of having Glover sing along with Beyonce is definitely an exciting one. So who knows? Maybe this will all work out alright in the end.
We’ll continue to remain cautiously optimistic for now, but tell us, what do you think of Disney remaking The Lion King? Are you alright with it? Or is this one trend that the studio needs to do away with? Sound off in the usual place with your thoughts.