Jon Favreau to direct live-action remake of The Lion King
The Jungle Book director is turning his eye to another Disney classic
Published:
After successfully delivering a jaw-dropping live-action remake of The Jungle Book earlier this year, it looks like director Jon Favreau is not quite done with revisiting beloved Disney properties.
The Hollywood director cheekily sent a cryptic tweet out this morning teasing that he might be about to board a remake of The Lion King, which was swiftly confirmed by Disney in a press release.
Excited for my next project 🦁👑
— Jon Favreau (@Jon_Favreau) September 28, 2016
Naturally, Twitter went into meltdown.
developing Disney's LION KING a la THE JUNGLE BOOK? Excellent!!! 🦁👑
— Dave Sharp, journalist (@davethecritic) September 28, 2016
@GeekPride5 @Jon_Favreau this deserves more favorites lol
— Eric Mac (@ericmac20) September 28, 2016
It’s the latest in a long line of modern updates to Disney’s animated back catalogue, which thus far includes Maleficent, Cinderella and, of course, Favreau’s The Jungle Book (which currently has a sequel in the works).
The original Lion King marked the peak of Disney’s ’90s renaissance when it was released in 1994, and remains the highest grossing hand-drawn animated film of all time.
It’s also famous for its Oscar and Grammy-winning soundtrack, featuring songs from Elton John and Tim Rice, which helped spawn a successful Broadway music based on the film.
Apparently, the new film will include many of those songs from the film, so it’s probably best to start practicing your renditions of The Circle of Life and Hakuna Matata now.
