IRON MAN Director Jon Favreau Will Helm A Live-Action Adaptation Of Disney's THE LION KING
It was probably only a matter of time, but Disney has now officially announced that a live-action take on their classic adventure, The Lion King, is in the works with Jon Favreau at the helm.
When you consider Disney's penchant for producing live-action remakes of their animated classics, and the massive success of their most recent blockbuster, The Jungle Book, it was probably inevitable that they'd get around to The Lion King at some point.
The Mouse House has just announced that the film is in the planning stages, and that Jon Favreau will return to the directing chair. Plus, they confirm that a sequel to The Jungle Book is also in development.
"We can officially confirm that The Walt Disney Studios and director Jon Favreau are putting a new reimagining of The Lion King on the fast track to production. The project follows the technologically groundbreaking smash hit The Jungle Book, directed by Favreau, which debuted in April and has earned $965.8 million worldwide. The Lion King builds on Disney’s success of reimagining its classics for a contemporary audience with films like Maleficent, Cinderella, and The Jungle Book. The upcoming Beauty and the Beast, starring Emma Watson as Belle, is already one of the most anticipated movies of 2017.
Like Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King will include songs from the animated film. Disney and Favreau are also in development on a sequel to The Jungle Book. No release date has been announced for either film."
The Lion King is one of the highest grossing animated pictures of all time, and is generally considered to be one of the best. When Disney began their live-action remake spree, fans expressed concern that Simba and co. might be on their to-do list - but after the terrific job he did on The Jungle Book, it's hard to imagine we'll get too many complaints with Favreau at the helm.
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About The Author:
Mark Cassidy is a writer, photographer, amateur filmmaker, and Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic from Dublin, Ireland.