Disney fans, we have great news for you! The studio just announced the cast of The Lion King reboot and it is star-studded!
Beyonce, who was announced to be voicing Nala, posted the cast on her Facebook page, and it is insane.
It has already been confirmed that Donald Glover (who goes under the stage name Childish Gambino) will play the young king Simba, while James Earl Jones will reprise his role as Simba’s father Mufasa.
In the post, it was announced that the following will be joining the trio in the cast: Chiwetel Ejiofor as Scar, Alfre Woodard as Sarabi, John Oliver as Zazu, John Kani as Rafiki, Seth Rogen as Pumbaa, Billy Eichner as Timon, Eric Andre as Azizi, Florence Kasumba as Shenzi, Keegan-Michael Key as Kamari, JD McCrary as young Simba, and Shahadi Wright Joseph as young Nala.
The Lion King is inspired by William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, and follows a kingdom of lions in Africa. It tells the story of Simba, a lion cub who is supposed to succeed his father Mufasa as king. When his uncle Scar kills Mufasa, the cub thinks he is responsible and flees. Scar becomes king until Simba grows up and challenges Scar to end his rule and take his rightful place.
The film was directed by Jon Favreau and released in 1994 to critical acclaim. It was the highest-grossing release of the year and the second highest-grossing film of all time. It went on to win two Academy Awards for Best Original Score by Hans Zimmer and Best Original Song with “Can You Feel the Love Tonight” by Elton John and Tim Rice. It also won two Golden Globes for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy and Best Original Score.
Three years later, a Broadway musical premiered, winning six Tony awards. It has given more than 6,700 performances, becoming Broadway’s third longest-running show in history and the highest grossing Broadway production of all time, having grossed more than $1 billion.
The Lion King is the latest live-action reboot, following the success of Maleficent, Cinderella, Snow White, Beauty and the Beast, and The Jungle Book, which Favreau also directed.
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