James Earl Jones and Donald Glover Join Disney’s The Lion King
Acclaimed actors James Earl Jones and Donald Glover have joined the voice cast of Disney and director Jon Favreau’s live-action reimagining of The Lion King. Donald Glover will voice adult Simba, while James Earl Jones will reprise the role of Mufasa, which he made famous in the 1994 animated film.
The Lion King follows in the footsteps of Disney’s contemporary re-envisioning of some of its most beloved classics with films like Maleficent, Cinderella, and the upcoming Beauty and the Beast, starring Emma Watson and debuting in theaters on March 17. In addition, Disney recently collaborated with Favreau on the Oscar-nominated smash hit The Jungle Book.
For The Lion King, Disney and Favreau will build on the groundbreaking technology used in The Jungle Book to bring the story of Simba to photorealistic life. The film’s release date has not been announced.
Looking forward to working with this legend. #Mufasa pic.twitter.com/1LszbWrcYT
— Jon Favreau (@Jon_Favreau) February 18, 2017
I just can’t wait to be king. #Simba pic.twitter.com/wUYKixMBJI
— Jon Favreau (@Jon_Favreau) February 18, 2017
What do you think of the casting news?
My dream of Donald Glover playing Adult Simba has finally come true!
I just can’t wait for him to be king of Pride Rock!