Disney announces live-action remake of ‘The Lion King’
LOS ANGELES: Walt Disney Studios is teaming up with director Jon Favreau for a liveaction remake of “The Lion King,” one of the most successful animated movies in history, the company said on Wednesday.
The production will build on Disney’s lucrative success re-imagining its classics for contemporary audiences in fi lms such as “Maleficent,” “Cinderella” and “The Jungle Book.”
“We can officially confi rm that the Walt Disney Studios and director Jon Favreau are putting a new re-imagining of ‘ The Lion King’ on the fast track to production,” the studio said in a statement without announcing a release date.
“The project follows the technologically groundbreaking smash hit ‘ The Jungle Book,’ directed by Favreau, which debuted in April and has earned US$ 965.8 million worldwide.”
Like the hotly anticipated “Beauty and the Beast,” starring Emma Watson and due for release next year, “The Lion King” will include songs from the animated fi lm, Disney said.
The studio has previously announced it is also working with Favreau on a sequel to “The Jungle Book,” although no release date has been announced for that, either.
Released in 1994, “The Lion King” became one of the biggest animated fi lms of all time with a lifetime global box- office gross of just under US$ 1 billion.
It won Oscars for the song “Can You Feel the Love Tonight” by Elton John and Tim Rice, and for its score by Hans Zimmer, plus two Grammy Awards, with the soundtrack selling more than 14 million copies.
Matthew Broderick voiced main character Simba in the original movie, while James Earl Jones lent his vocal talents to the role of Mufasa, Simba’s father, and Jeremy Irons voiced Simba’s evil uncle Scar.
Moira Kelly starred as Simba’s wife Nala, and Nathan Lane and Ernie Sabella were comedy duo Timon and Pumbaa, a meerkat and a warthog.
Comedian Rowan Atkinson voiced hornbill Zazu and Robert Guillaume was mandrill Rafi ki.
The cast of the movie and the release date are yet to be confi rmed.
The stage production made its Broadway debut in 1997 and went on to win six Tony Awards.
Translated into eight languages, the fi lm’s 23 global productions have been seen by more than 85 million people. Its worldwide gross exceeds that of any fi lm, Broadway show or other entertainment title in history. — AFP