Disney fans, it’s official; there’s a live-action remake of The Lion King in the works, and we genuinely couldn’t be more excited.
The original story, as we’re sure you already know, was Disney’s answer to Shakespeare’s Hamlet, changing the traditional Denmark setting for the African savannah.
And, of course, it also swapped out the original human cast for lions, warthogs, meerkats, and the like.
However, while the cartoon – boasting a star-studded cast of voice actors, including Nathan Lane, Matthew Broderick and James Earl Jones – kept in the murder of a proud king by his evil, power-hungry brother, they gave it a musical makeover and a happier ending than the Bard’s original tragedy.
Now, much like Beauty & The Beast, Cinderella, and The Jungle Book before it, The Lion King will be remade for modern audiences.
And, this time, it’s going to be a live-action drama. Which means, yes, real(ish) lions.
The official announcement from Walt Disney reads: “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 (£743.8 million) worldwide.”
Read more: Watch the full trailer for Disney's Moana
As of yet, no release date has been announced for the film.
The Lion King was released in 1994, and has since become known as one of the biggest animated films of all time.
It won Academy Awards for the original song Can You Feel the Love Tonight (Elton John, Tim Rice) and original score (Hans Zimmer), plus two Grammy Awards, with the soundtrack selling over 14 million copies.
It remains to be seen whether the upcoming film will recreate some of the original’s biggest musical numbers (we’re hoping for a rendition of I Just Can’t Wait To Be King), or whether it will, much like The Jungle Book, keep the tone more serious.
However the lyrics to the Circle of Life have never seemed quite as appropriate as they do now…
Nants ingonyama bagithi baba
Sithi uhhmm ingonyama
Nants ingonyama bagithi baba
Sithi uhhmm ingonyama
Loosely translated, it means: there comes a lion, oh yes, it’s a lion…
And we have a feeling it’s going to be the mane event when it roars into cinemas in the not-so-distant future.
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