Posted by | Ray Cornelius
Congrats to “Atlanta” star and creator—Donald Glover. He is in talks to portray Simba in a live action version of Disney’s “Lion King.” According to VARIETY, the Golden Globe winner will star in the film alongside screen legend and the voice of the original Mufasa, James Earl Jones.
The film is currently being developed and will be directed by Jon Favreau and penned by Jeff Nathanson. It will follow Favreau’s sequel to his 2016 live action version of Disney’s “The Jungle Book.”
“Lion King” tells the story of Simba, a young lion who is to succeed his father, Mufasa, as King of the Pride Lands; however, after Simba’s uncle Scar murders Mufasa, Simba is manipulated into thinking he was responsible and flees into exile. Upon maturation living with two wastrels, Simba is given some valuable perspective from his childhood friend, Nala, and his shaman, Rafiki, before returning to challenge Scar to end his tyranny and take his place in the Circle of Life as the rightful King. The film also starred Madge Sinclair, Whoopi Goldberg, Robert Guillaume, Nathan Lane, Jeremy Irons, Cheech Marin and more.
“Lion King” was originally released in 1994 and is one of the highest-grossing animated films of all time. It was turned into a spectacular Broadway musical that premiered in 1997 and is still running to this day in New York. It is the third longest-running show and highest grossing Broadway production in history.
Stay tuned…
Sources: Variety and Wikipedia
Photo Credits: RayCornelius.com and VARIETY
