1994's #LionKing is one of the best animated films ever; it has great animation, Oscar-nominated- and winning songs and a story based off of William Shakespeare's Hamlet. From a studio that has made so many great movies, especially in the 90s, this might be the best one yet. We know that Jon Favreau will direct, and I think it is fair to say that he earned the job by doing #TheJungleBook from 2016. Disney has yet to announce a release date, but I expect it will take a few years, considering the amount of CGI necessary. Hopefully the same animators from The Jungle Book will return, as it looked incredible. It really deserved that Academy Award.
Even though the movie probably will be 100% CGI, it is in need of actors to dp the voices. So far, only two actors have been announced, Donald Glover will replace Matthew Broderick as adult #Simba, and James Earl Jones will replay the role of #Mufasa from 1994. Glover is known for Community and Atlanta, and will star in this summer's Spider-Man Homecoming and as Lando Calrissian in the untitled Han Solo movie. Jones is the well known role of Darth Vader in the #StarWars franchise, and you last heard him in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. Lion King has a lot more great characters though, and they are all in need of a voice, so here are my choices for who should join Pride Rock.
Be prepared (pun intended) to disagree with some of these choices!
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Young Simba
The main character of the movie, Simba, is a young cub in the first act of the movie, and the actor needs to go through many scenes, from the joy of "I Just Can't Wait To Be King", to the fear in the Elephant Graveyard, to the grief of Mufasa's death. There are many young actors that have proven themselves to be great, but one of the best is the Canadian Jacob Tremblay, known for acting alongside Oscar-winning Brie Larson in Room (No, not The Room), and he still steals the movie.
In 2018, you will see him in Shane Black's The Predator. Tremblay might be one of the best young actors working in Hollywood today, and he could definitely pull of Simba. I am not sure if he can sing, but let's all hope so! Young Simba was played by Jonathan Taylor Thomas in the original film, but Jason Weaver provided the singing voice.
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Nala
In the clip above, you also saw Simba's childhood friend and love interest, #Nala. She also was played by two actresses in the film; Nikes Calame played the young version, and Moira Kelly played the adult Nala. As a child, she shares many personality traits with Simba, as they both like to explore new locations, like the Elephant Graveyard. This made them best friends, and it also got them into trouble. As an adult, Nala is one of the starving lionesses living on Pride Rock under the rule of #Scar. She discovers that Simba is still alive one day she is out hunting for food. They fall in love, and she is great help in restoring Simba as the true king of the savannah, where she becomes the queen.
To play young Nala, I choose Angourie Rice. If you have seen The Nice Guys (if not, you really should) you know that she is a great young actress. I don't know of she is a good singer either, but Nala doesn't sing much in the film, so her musical abilities won't matter all that much. You can see her later this year in Spider-Man Homecoming. She is six years older than Tremblay, but I always though Nala seemed more mature than Simba. As for adult Nala, I would like to see Kerry Washington. You probably know her from her TV Show Scandal, which has been running since 2012. She also delivered a great performance in Quentin Tarantino's Django Unchained. Like Rice, she is six years older than the actor playing Simba, and I think she would be a great match for Donald Glover. Her voice is also great, and they could pull off a great version of "Can You Feel The Love Tonight", if Jon Favreau actually decides to keep the music this time.
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Scar
The main villain of the film. He is introduced as Mufasa's brother, and it is soon revealed that he is plotting against the king. This plays out when Scar lures Simba into a canyon, and causes a stampede. This results in the death of Mufasa when he attempts to rescue Simba. The king would have made it out alive, if not Scar had pushed him back in. Scar is portrayed as menacing, but he still has his charm. Early on, he has a great musical number - "Be Prepared".
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An important thing when having a villain in a film, is to make the audience like him. We have to feel for the villain and understand his motivations. This makes almost every movie so much better. Jeremy Irons brought an incredible performance to the part in the original, and if anyone can replace him, I think it is Tom Hiddleston. He is already playing one of the most popular villains in modern cinema; Loki. Those villains share some similar traits, they are both the younger, ignored brother striving for power, and they are both very charismatic while threatening. Hiddleston's voice is also amazing, and he has a great British accent, just like Irons. This year you can see Tom Hiddleston in Kong: Skull Island and Thor: Ragnarok.
Timon & Pumbaa
Everyone's favorite duo. This is the meerkat (Timon) and warthog (Pumbaa) that raised Simba after he ran away, and they are the singers of the iconic song #HakunaMatata. They are known for eating beetles, sleeping, relaxing and staying away from danger. They know how to have fun, and lives in what seems like paradise. They take responsibility when they find young Simba helpless in the desert. They are an essential part of his upbringing, and are big help in defeating Scar and his hyenas in the climactic final battle of the film.
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In the 1994 film, Timon was portrayed by Nathan Lane, and Pumbaa was played by Ernie Sabella. Lane has later appeared in movies like Mirror, Mirror (2012) and as a guest on the hit show Modern Family. Sabella hasn't been in too many shows, but he has reprised the role of Pumbaa in countless films, TV Shows and video games. To portray these two characters, I think it would be cool if Jonah Hill voiced Timon and Seth Rogen voiced Pumbaa. They both got recognizable voices, and I think they would fit the characters, and still bring something new to the duo. I also like that the voices of Timon and Pumbaa are good friends in real life, plus they are both really funny.
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Zazu
The trusted advisor of Mufasa plays a small part in the film, and is more of a comedic role. He was in charge of keeping Simba out of danger, and alerted Mufasa once he got in trouble. He is probably the sassiest character in the movie, and is portrayed excellently by Rowan Atkinson, known for portraying Mr. Bean. Zazu is part of "I Just Can't Wait to be King" and sings his own little number; "Morning Report"
One actor that could nail this role is Seth MacFarlane, the man of many voices. You are probably familiar with his voice work in Family Guy, Ted and last year's Sing. This man can make any voice he wants, and he could really bring something great to the little blue bird. MacFarlane is also a great singer and has a great comedic talent, so he would fit right in on the savannah
Rafiki
Rafiki is the wise old mandrill who gives Simba his advice, and motivates him to return to Pride Rock. This is a really small part, but at the same time memorable (who isn't?). Rafiki has a great scene with Simba under the stars, and his portrayal by Robert Guillame is also really good.
For Rafiki, I chose Morgan Freeman, as he has that powerful and wise voice. Freeman has previously played in Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy, and he did great voice work in Lord & Miller's The Lego Movie, where he played the wizard Vitrivious. I think Rafiki really resembles that role, and Freeman is therefore a great choice to play this ape.
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The Hyenas
The secondary villains, and Scar's henchmen throughout the film. They are scary, but also have comedic moments. They spend the entire film scared of Scar, but they betray him in the end, where all we see is the terrifying shadow of Scar's death.
In 1994, these characters were played by Whoopi Goldberg, Cheech Marin and Jim Cummngs respectively. In the remake I think it would be great to see Amy Poehler as Shenzi, as she is a great comedian, as seen in Park's and Recreation. She also did great voice work in Pixar's Inside Out. For Banzai, I like Will Arnett. I know he has history with Poehler, but his iconic, raspy voice is great as Banzai. You recently heard him as the title character in "The Lego Batman Movie".
As for Ed, I would cast the voice actor Hank Azaria, known for various roles in The Simpsons and The Smurfs. He also played the recurring character David in the sitcom Friends.
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So, those are my picks to star in Jon Favreaus Lion King. I really hope this film will turn out great, as I love the original. Favreau is a great director, and the Glover and Jones starring is near perfect casting. What do you think? Will the movie be good? Do you agree with my choices? Let me know in the comments, and thank you for reading!
Who would you cast in 'Lion King'?