Tag: Jon Favreau

Cast for Live Action ‘The Lion King’ Announced

The live-action take on Disney’s The Lion King, coming to theatres in 2019, definitely has the lion’s share of amazing voice talent ready to bring these classic characters to life. James Earl Jones previously announced he would be reprising his role as Mufasa, and Donald Glover shared that he “just can’t wait to be king” as Simba in the upcoming film. Ready for even more star power? Beyoncé Knowles Carter––yep, Beyoncé!––will voice Nala, Simba’s lifelong friend and eventual love interest. Taking on the voices of the dynamic duo Timon and Pumbaa are funny guys Billy Eichner and Seth Rogen. Alfre Woodard will voice Sarabi, Chiwetel Ejiofor will lend his voice to the mischievous Scar, and John Oliver will take on the sensible Zazu. See the full cast below!

We just can’t WAIT to see The Lion King! Stay tuned for more updates on this exciting film.

From D23

James Earl Jones and Donald Glover Cast in Disney’s Live-Action “Lion King”

Donald Glover is going to be the mane event in Disney’s live-action version of “The Lion King.” And he’ll be joined by an actor whose voice is as legendary as they come.

Glover has been cast as Simba in the studio’s new take on the 1994 animated classic.  James Earl Jones has also come aboard the project. He will play Mufasa, reprising the role he previously voiced.
Matthew Broderick and Jonathan Taylor Thomas shared the role of Simba in the animated film, voicing the older and younger versions of the character, respectively.
Director Jon Favreau broke the news on Twitter.  He tweeted a picture of Glover with a caption referencing “Lion King” tune, “I Just Can’t Wait to Be King.”  A subsequent tweet was accompanied by a photo of Jones.  “Looking forward to working with this legend,” he wrote.
Disney later confirmed the casting news in a press release.
The high-profile role will add yet another job to Glover’s already full plate.  In addition to starring in and executive producing FX’s “Atlanta,” Glover just inked an overall deal with the network in January under which he will develop new series.  He was also cast as young Lando in the Han Solo standalone film late last year.
Jones joins the project after just recently reprising another famous voice role of his — Darth Vader in “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.”
Favreau signed on to direct the live-action “Lion King” film in September, hot off the success of his “Jungle Book” reimagining.
“The Jungle Book” grossed $966 million worldwide.
From CNN

Disney and Jon Favreau Joining Forces on “The Lion King”

We can officially confirm that The Walt Disney Studios and director Jon Favreau are putting a new reimagining of The Lion King on the fast track to production. The project follows the technologically groundbreaking smash hit The Jungle Book, directed by Favreau, which debuted in April and has earned $965.8 million worldwide. 

The Lion King builds on Disney’s success of reimagining its classics for a contemporary audience with films like Maleficent, Cinderella, and The Jungle Book. The upcoming Beauty and the Beast, starring Emma Watson as Belle, is already one of the most anticipated movies of 2017. Like Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King will include songs from the animated film. Disney and Favreau are also in development on a sequel to The Jungle Book. No release date has been announced for either film. 

The Lion King (1994) is one of the biggest animated films of all time with a lifetime global box office gross of $968.8 million, including $422.8 million domestically. It won Academy Awards for the original song “Can You Feel the Love Tonight” (Elton John, Tim Rice) and original score (Hans Zimmer), plus two Grammy Awards, with the soundtrack selling over 14 million copies. In 1997, the stage production The Lion King made its Broadway debut, winning six Tony Awards; 19 years later, it remains one of Broadway’s biggest hits alongside several other productions running around the world, including London, Hamburg, Tokyo, Madrid, Mexico City, Shanghai, and North America. Translated into eight different languages, its 23 global productions have been seen by more than 85 million people across every continent except Antarctica. The Lion King’s worldwide gross exceeds that of any film, Broadway show or other entertainment title in box office history.  

Disney’s ‘The Jungle Book’ Stampedes to Huge $103.6 Million Opening

Disney’s reboot of its 1967 animated classic won the weekend, roaring to an estimated $103.6 million in North America after opening Friday.

That’s an impressive number for an April opening, second only to the $147.1 million that “Furious 7” made during its opening weekend last year.

The debut is surprising, considering that most analysts predicted that “The Jungle Book” opening would bring in closer to $75 million.

“The Jungle Book” also brought in an impressive $240 million globally this weekend.

The movie, from “Iron Man” director Jon Favreau, includes voice talent from stars like Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson, and it received widespread acclaim from critics. It garnered an “A” CinemaScore with audiences and a 95% score on review site Rotten Tomatoes.

Most critics praised “The Jungle Book” for the film’s visual effects as well as its loyalty to the source material.

The film represents another big hit for Disney’s series of live action revivals of animated classics.

Other films in the series include 2010’s “Alice In Wonderland,” 2014’s “Maleficent,” and last year’s “Cinderella.” They’ve brought Disney more than $2.3 billion at the worldwide box office.

The success of “The Jungle Book” sets up another potentially blockbuster year for the Mouse House at the movies.

The studio has a strong 2016 film slate that includes “Finding Dory” — a sequel to “Finding Nemo” — which opens in June. “Star Wars” spinoff “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” opens in December.

Disney also kicks off the summer movie season with Marvel’s “Captain America: Civil War,” which opens on May 6.

From CNN Money

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