Nicki's Random Musings

Cast Announcement for Live Action Lion King Movie

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Cast Announcement for Live Action Lion King Movie

On a quiet Wednesday afternoon, Walt Disney Studios announced the star-studded cast for the upcoming live-action remake of Lion King. The internet has been in a frenzy ever since, and it’s understandable when you see the lineup. First James Earl Jones is reprising his role as Mufasa.  The most surprising of the cast announcements was the casting of Beyoncé Knowles-Carter as Nala.

I saw a very short clip of the intro at D23 Expo this year, and I was super excited. This casting announcement makes me even more excited about the film that’s scheduled to be released on July 19, 2019.

“It is a director’s dream to assemble a talented team like this to bring this classic story to life,” said Favreau.

Lions rule the African savanna in “The Lion King,” which welcomes Donald Glover (“Atlanta,” “Solo: 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 Story,” “Field of Dreams”) as Simba’s wise and loving father, Mufasa, reprising his iconic performance from Disney’s 1994 animated classic. Chiwetel Ejiofor (“Twelve Years a Slave,” Marvel Studios’ “Doctor Strange”) was called on to portray Simba’s villainous uncle Scar, and Alfre Woodard (“Juanita,” Marvel’s “Luke Cage”) portrays Simba’s no-nonsense mother, Sarabi. JD McCrary (OWN’s “Tyler Perry’s The Paynes,” Apple’s “Vital Signs”) fills the shoes of Young Simba, a confident cub who can’t wait to be king, and Shahadi Wright Joseph(NBC’s “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 (“Coriolanus,” Marvel Studios’ “Captain America: Civil War”) was cast as the wise baboon Rafiki, and John Oliver (HBO’s “Last Week Tonight with John Oliver,” Comedy Central’s “The 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 Party,” “Neighbors”) lends his comedic chops to naïve warthog Pumbaa, and Billy Eichner(“Billy on the Street,” FX’s “American Horror Story”) joins the cast as know-it-all meerkat Timon.

While most of the animals in the kingdom respect the king, the hyenas have other plans. Florence Kasumba (NBC’s “Emerald City,” Marvel Studios’ “Black Panther”) portrays Shenzi, Eric André (Adult Swim’s “The Eric André Show,” FXX’s “Man Seeking Woman”) is Azizi, and Keegan-Michael Key (“Predator,” Netflix’s “Friends from College”) plays Kamari.

ANAHEIM, CA – JULY 15: Director Jon Favreau of THE LION KING took part today in the Walt Disney Studios live action presentation at Disney’s D23 EXPO 2017 in Anaheim, Calif. THE LION KING will be released in U.S. theaters on July 19, 2019. (Photo by Jesse Grant/Getty Images for Disney)

I have to admit that I’m very excited about Chiwetel Ejiofor as Scar. I adore him, so I’m very excited to see him as a villain in this Disney remake. Perhaps it will prepare me for him being the bad guy if Doctor Strange returns with a part two. John Oliver is another surprise for me, but I can’t wait to see what he does in the role. It seems like Favreau is planning another hit.

Since I’ve been checking out my Twitter peeps reactions to Black Panther, I know the Beyhive should have some great tweets about this announcement, so here’s a few of my favorites.

Are you excited about the Lion King remake?

Nickida

Nickida is a first-generation Trinidadian American wife and mother of four. She enjoys sharing recipes from her childhood growing up in Trinidad with her readers. Nickida has a son with Autism and shares posts around traveling with a child with special needs to help other families like her own. She loves television, movies and is a true 80's baby.

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