The first teaser of Disney’s live-action version of The Lion King was released today. The teaser replicates the opening sequence of the 1994 film, with computer-generated creatures replacing the animated figures from the original production.
Jon Favreau, who did a similar animation-to-live-action-conversion exercise with The Jungle Book in 2016, has directed The Lion King. The movie will be released on July 19, 2019.
The voice cast includes James Earl Jones as Musafa, Donald Glover as Simba, Beyonce as Nala, Chiwetel Ejiofor as Scar, John Oliver as Zazu, John Kani as Rafiki and Billy Eichner and Seth Rogen as Timon and Pumbaa. Four songs from the original production, Circle of Life, Can You Feel the Love Tonight, I Just Can’t Wait to be King and Hakuna Matata, will also feature in the latest version.
The Lion King is one of Disney’s most successful animated films. The musical traces the journey of Simba, who is kicked out of his kingdom by his evil uncle Scar and must find the courage to reclaim the throne. The animated film also spawned a stage musical and television spin-offs.
Disney is plundering its library of animated films for live-action spinoffs. Among the productions in the pipeline are Dumbo, Aladdin, Lady and the Tramp and Mulan.