Will ‘The Lion King’ be a shot-for-shot remake? Here’s what Jon Favreau says
The Lion King director Jon Favreau has promised that his upcoming new version of the beloved Disney animated film will not be a shot-for-shot remake.
Speaking to USA Today, Favreau explained, “The original holds up incredibly well. So the challenge here was to tell a story in a different way but still deliver on people’s expectations while surprising them somehow.”
One of the ways Favreau and the team behind The Lion King have achieved this is by updating its humour.
This will undoubtedly come for from the vocal cast of Billy Eichner as Timon, Seth Rogen as Pumbaa, John Oliver as Zazu, Eric Andre as Azizi, Keegan-Michael Key as Kamari, and Amy Sedaris’ unnamed new character. Even Donald Glover should be able to add some laughs to Simba, as he is an experienced comedian, too.
However, even though Favreau is keen to stress that The Lion King is not a shot-for-shot remake, the director admitted that it still possesses the iconic moments that have made the original so popular. That was apparent from the first trailer for the film, which showcased just how similar the shots are to its 1994 predecessor.
Disney will be very confident in Favreau’s ability to not just tap into the magic of the original version of The Lion King, but to also modernise it for a 2019 audience, too. That’s because the Iron Man director previously oversaw 2016’s The Jungle Book, which saw the likes of Baloo and Bagheera re-created as photo-realistic animals.
Audiences were entranced by this new incarnation of The Jungle Book, as it went on to gross £743 million worldwide. We’ll find out whether The Lion King can match or even eclipse this haul when it is released on July 19.
