'The Lion King' Live-Action Cast News: Fans Pressure Disney to Confirm Beyoncé's Addition
Is Beyoncé in the live-action remake of "The Lion King"? Fans want Disney to confirm this since it has been months when the rumors first surfaced.
A photo from Geeks of Color on Twitter ignited questions about Beyoncé's status in "The Lion King" live-action. It showed the cast members of the movie but fans wondered why the "Lemonade" singer was not in it.
"We want the Beyoncé announcement and we want it now," one fan posted.
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"I need Beyoncé to confirm that she's playing Nala now," another chimed.
Last March, Variety first reported that Beyonce was the top choice to play Nala next to Donald Glover's Simba. She was in the discussion for the project but Disney revealed no further details on whether she accepted an offer or not.
Rumors also surfaced that Disney asked her to help with "The Lion King" soundtrack, which will feature Afro-Tribal music. Beyonce will write and record new songs for the live-action film for a $25 million deal.
Disney has been wanting Beyonce in its live-action projects. Director Bill Condon offered her a role in "Beauty and the Beast" with Emma Watson but it wasn't big enough for the superstar.
Meanwhile, apart from Glover, the studio already confirmed that James Earl Jones will be back to lend his voice to Mufasa, Simba's father. Jones is the same voice behind the character in the animated film that Disney released in 1994.
Also in the cast are Billy Eichner as Timon, Seth Rogen as Pumbaa, John Oliver as Zazu, Alfre Woodard as Sarabi and John Kani as Rafiki. Chiwetel Ejiofor was also reportedly in talks to voice Scar but like Beyoncé's addition, this remains unconfirmed.
Disney's "The Lion King" live-action will closely follow the animated flick but it won't be live-action per se because much of the production will involve computer animation using the most advanced virtual reality technology.
Disney announced that "The Lion King" live-action will be in theaters on July 19, 2019. Production allegedly began last May with director Jon Favreau at the helm.
