According to The Hollywood Reporter, acclaimed actress Alfre Woodard (Luke Cage, Captain America: Civil War, 12 Years a Slave) has joined the cast of Disney‘s upcoming live-action The Lion King film as Sabari, Simba’s mother. The role was originally voiced by Madge Sinclair in the original 1994 Disney animation. The film is currently shooting in Los Angeles.
The Lion King is the latest in a line of live-action versions of Disney animated classics which include Beauty and the Beast and The Jungle Book. The Lion King cast includes Donald Glover (Community, Atlanta) as the young lion Simba and James Earl Jones (Star Wars) as Mufasa. Jones, of course, did the voice of Mufasa in the 1994 animated film. Matthew Broderick (Ferris Bueller’s Day Off) was the voice of the adult Simba, with Joseph Williams (the band Toto) doing the singing. Chiwetel Ejiofor (Scar), Seth Rogen (Pumbaa), Billy Eichner (Timon) and John Oliver (Zazu) have also joined the cast of The Lion King live-action film.
Favreau, who previously launched the Marvel Cinematic Universe with Iron Man, is bringing to The Lion King the same level of photo-real effects he brought to The Jungle Book. Look for The Lion King to hit the big screen July 19, 2019.
Ejiofor is known for playing Karl Mordo in the Marvel film Doctor Strange, Dr. Vincent Kapoor in The Martian, The Operative in Serenity and Solomon Northrup in 12 Years a Slave. Ejiofor was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor for that role. He was nominated for a Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie for his work in the series Dancing on the Edge.
Are you guys excited for The Lion King live-action film? What do you think of Alfre Woodard as Sabari? What Disney film would you like to see get the live-action treatment next? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below or tweet us @ComingSoonnet.
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