The king has arrived in time for Thanksgiving weekend. Disney debuted the first trailer for its upcoming Lion King remake from director Jon Favreau.
Donald Glover leads the cast as young Lion Simba who loses his dad, while Beyonce — who is credited in the trailer with her last name, Knowles-Carter — voices Nala, a childhood friend and later love interest to Simba. The cast includes James Earl Jones reprising his role from the 1994 animated film as Simba's father Mufasa, Chiwetel Ejiofor as Simba's villainous uncle Scar, Alfre Woodard as Simba's mother Sarabi, with child actor JD McCrary playing the young version of Simba. Shahadi Wright Joseph is voicing the young Nala, while John Kani voices the baboon Rafiki and John Oliver playing Mufasa’s confidant, the hornbill Zazu.
Favreau first showed off footage from The Lion King last summer at D23, which included photo-real landscapes and Rafiki introducing baby Simba on Pride Rock.
The Lion King is just one of several remakes Disney has on the docket, including Lady in the Tramp for its Disney+ streaming service and Tim Burton's Dumbo, which bows March 29, 2019.
Favreau previously had huge success with his remake of The Jungle Book, which grossed $966 million globally, according to Hollywood Reporter.
The original Lion King grossed more than $968 million worldwide and featured memorable songs from Elton John and Tim Rice. Favreau's Lion King is set to open July 19, 2019.
