X

Roar! Beyonce, Donald Glover to star in 'Lion King' remake

Queen Bey will voice Nala in the live-action musical drama for 2019, alongside a sparkling cast that includes James Earl Jones, John Oliver and Seth Rogen.

Jason Parker Senior Editor / Reviews - Software
Jason Parker has been at CNET for nearly 15 years. He is the senior editor in charge of iOS software and has become an expert reviewer of the software that runs on each new Apple device. He now spends most of his time covering Apple iOS releases and third-party apps.
Jason Parker

We've already seen successful reboots for "Jungle Book" and "Beauty and the Beast," so it wasn't surprising to hear in late 2015 that beloved 1994 animated film "The Lion King," which spawned a hit Broadway show, would also come back for another round. On Wednesday, Walt Disney Studios revealed the cast of the live-action remake on Twitter , and it's amazing.

James Earl Jones will return to voice lion king Mufasa, Donald Glover will play the grown version of his son Simba, and Billy Eichner, who will also appear in Disney 's upcoming "Nicole," will play Simba's pal Timon. The announcement of Beyonce as Nala got people especially excited on Twitter:

"The Lion King" tells the story of a young lion whose father is the lion king until an evil uncle plots to dethrone him. As an adult, Simba returns in an attempt to take back the throne.

The film will also feature Chiwetel Ejiofor as bad uncle Scar; Alfre Woodard as Sarabi; John Oliver as Zazu; John Kani as Rafiki; Seth Rogen as Pumbaa; Eric Andre as Azizi; Florence Kasumba as Shenzi; Keegan-Michael Key as Kamari; JD McCrary as young Simba; and Shahadi Wright Joseph as young Nala.

"The Lion King" will be in theaters in July 2019.