The Lion King Featurette: Jon Favreau & the Cast Dive into The Lion King

Jon Favreau & the Cast Dive into The Lion King in New Featurette

Disney has released a new The Lion King featurette featuring the cast of the upcoming live-action adaptation discussing taking on the classic tale. You can check out the video now in the player below!

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Lions rule the African savanna in The Lion King, which welcomes Donald Glover (AtlantaSolo: A Star Wars Story) as future-king Simba, Beyoncé Knowles-Carter (Dreamgirls, “Lemonade” visual album) as Simba’s friend-turned-love interest Nala, and James Earl Jones (Rogue One: A Star Wars StoryField of Dreams) as Simba’s wise and loving father, Mufasa, reprising his iconic performance from Disney’s 1994 animated classic. You can pick up a copy of the 1994 version here.

Chiwetel Ejiofor (Twelve Years a SlaveDoctor Strange) was called on to portray Simba’s villainous uncle Scar, and Alfre Woodard (JuanitaMarvel’s Luke Cage) portrays Simba’s no-nonsense mother, Sarabi. JD McCrary (Tyler Perry’s The PaynesVital Signs) fills the shoes of Young Simba, a confident cub who can’t wait to be king, and Shahadi Wright Joseph (Hairspray Live, Broadway’s “The Lion King”) brings tough cub Young Nala to life.

Every kingdom comes with a trustworthy advisor or two. John Kani (CoriolanusCaptain America: Civil War) was cast as the wise baboon Rafiki, and John Oliver (Last Week Tonight with John OliverThe Daily Show with Jon Stewart) was tapped as hornbill Zazu, Mufasa’s loyal confidant. When Simba goes into exile, he relies on two newfound friends — Seth Rogen (Sausage PartyNeighbors) lends his comedic chops to naïve warthog Pumbaa, and Billy Eichner (Billy on the StreetAmerican Horror Story) joins the cast as know-it-all meerkat, Timon.

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While most of the animals in the kingdom respect the king, the hyenas have other plans. Florence Kasumba (Emerald CityBlack Panther) portrays Shenzi, Eric André (The Eric André ShowMan Seeking Woman) is Azizi, and Keegan-Michael Key (PredatorFriends from College) plays Kamari.

Directed by Jon Favreau (The Jungle Book), Disney’s The Lion King opens in theatres July 19. Get your tickets by clicking here!

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