WithJon Favreauset to direct Disney’s highly-anticipated live-action adaptation ofThe Lion King, the focus has now turned to casting.Jon Favreauhimself has taken to social media to announced thatDonald Gloverhas been cast as Simba, withJames Earl Jonesportraying his iconic father. It remains to be seen if the filmmaker will continue to make more casting announcements through social media, but it certainly seems possible. The studio hasn’t announced when production will begin at this point yet.
Jon Favreaumade these casting announcements onTwitterthis afternoon, revealing who will play two of the most important roles.James Earl Joneswill essentially be reprising his role from the original animated classic, where he also provided the voice for Mufasa. In the original animated movie, the young Simba was voiced byHome ImprovementstarJohnathan Taylor Thomas, while the adult Simba was voiced byMatthew Broderick. It remains to be seen ifJon Favreauis considering other voice cast members from the originalLion Kingto star in this live-action project.
The last update we got on this reboot was that directorJon Favreauplans on usingvirtual reality technologyfor this film. He revealed that they used some VR technology to create virtual environments, and then go on location scouting expeditions within these virtual locations, and that he could move assets around these virtual locations in real time with VR technology. The filmmaker also added in that interview that he plans on using the same “photoreal” technology that he used to bring the animals to life in his hit adaptation ofThe Jungle Bookwith the animals in this newLion Kingproject.
Jeff Nathanson(Rush Hour,Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales) came aboard in October to write the screenplay forThe Lion King. The original film follows the adventures of a young lion cub named Simba, who just can’t wait to be king. The sudden death of his father, Mufasa, and the treacherous actions of his Uncle Scar lead Simba into exile and ultimately on a hero’s journey of self discovery. Adopting the “hakuna matata” philosophy of his comical jungle guardians, a warthog named Pumbaa and a meerkat named Timon, Simba grows to maturity, but eventually comes to terms with his destiny and returns home to Pride Rock to help put things right. It isn’t clear how much the story will change in this new version.
Donald Gloverrecently signed on to play a young Lando Calrissian in Disney’s highly-anticipatedStar Warsspin-offHan Solo: A Star Wars Story, and he recently created and starred in the critically acclaimed FX comedy seriesAtlanta. He also has an unspecified role in this summer’sSpider-Man: Homecoming, which hits theaters July 7.James Earl Jonesrecently reprised his Mufasa role in the animated TV movieThe Lion Guard, and he returned to lend his iconic voice to the villainous Darth Vader inRogue One: A Star Wars Story. Take a look atJon Favreau’s tweets below announcing the first two cast members forThe Lion King.
