So first off, I would like to thank everyone for the incredible support to the last post I put up! I have honestly been doing this for coming up to 3 years, and still enjoy doing it, but haven't received much in way of feedback across that time. To have some of you guys respond, and tell me that you enjoyed it, was truly an amazing feeling and it's great to know that you are actually enjoying this, especially on a post I considered a little more risky than my usual content. Anyway, thank you so much for your continued support!
I don't think I've said it enough, but Disney are on a roll on all fronts right now. Their animated features are receiving critical acclaim across the board, with both Moana and Zootropolis last year garnering high praise, while their live-action efforts are also going down a treat with audiences. With that said, is it any surprise that a live-action Lion King is being fast-tracked, announced this week for a July 19th, 2019 release date! It's a great time to be a Disney fan for sure. We already have 2 cast members confirmed: Donald Glover for the adult Simba (which is phenomenal casting), and a returning James Earl Jones as Mufasa, which was music to the ears of all fans of the original version. So, I thought I'd take another risky post and take a stab at casting the main players of the new version of the movie. Since James Earl Jones is coming back, there may be a few familiar faces on the list as well. You might say that's cheating, but this is a wish list, and it would be incredible to see the few inclusions return for this version. With introductions out of the way, let's jump in!
Young Simba - Caleb McLaughlin
Now, here's a name that only really became known to the world last year after starring as one of the main kids, Lucas, in Netflix's excellent 80s-throwback show "Stranger Things". In that show, Caleb McLaughlin showcased himself as an extremely talented young actor, not coming across as annoying at any point across the eight episodes of season one of that show, and demonstrated his dramatic, comedic, and emotional capabilities all at once. If this isn't a perfect fit for the young Simba, then I don't know what is. Not only does his voice perfectly fit what you might imagine a young Donald Glover to sound like, but he also comes across as the sort of mischievous character who would have some playful banter with the King's aide and possibly sneak off to visit an Elephant Graveyard. With the comedic talents for this and the emotion for the events towards the end of the childhood section of the movie, if Disney are looking for a name to play young Simba, I would say this is a good place to start.
Young Nala - Auli'i Cravalho
Another young name from last year who had an impressive first impact on the film world, Auli'i Carvalho entered the spotlight after starring as the titular character in "Moana", one of Disney's hits from last year. Those credentials alone make her perfect to be the young Nala. Although she is a little bit older than Caleb McLaughlin, she is still a young actress and it wouldn't be hard to imagine that the two were close in age at least, particularly when we are only hearing their voices, not seeing their faces. One of the big advantages of this casting is Carvalho's beautiful and impressive singing voice. Although young Nala does not really show off throughout the movie, Disney will of course have to expand on the material and not giving her a chance to show off again (particularly after Moana) would be a massive missed opportunity. Not only that, but she has the comedic and dramatic timing to bounce perfectly off of a young Simba, and enough emotional resonance in her voice to allow the audience to establish a connection to the character when her best friend leaves without a goodbye, and Scar takes over the pride. Basically, Disney, this would be perfect casting.
Adult Nala - Lupita Nyong'o
Admittedly, this is a very popular piece of casting on many wish lists concerning this movie, although it is certainly for good reason! Beyoncé is one name who has been surrounding this part recently, and that probably would not end up being as painful a performance as some might predict (she genuinely wasn't terrible in Steve Martin "Pink Panther" movie), and she of course has the singing voice to carry the part. However, it still has an element of stunt casting about it, and Lupita Nyong'o is simply a far more impressive and exciting name to associate with Nala. Ever since her Oscar-winning turn in "12 Years A Slave", Nyong'o has went on to take on a number of memorable roles in a few big movies, from Maz Kanata in a little movie called "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" and mother wolf Raksha in last year's excellent "The Jungle Book". Her voice certainly matches the part of Nala, and has an appropriate mix of hope, honour, and strength to carry the character in her adult years. She has also ready proven her ability to work with and break through CGI in "The Jungle Book", and the emotion that will hopefully match her first meeting with Simba in adulthood once again. The only question mark here that isn't with Beyoncé is her singing voice, but actors have been trained to be singers before, so why shouldn't that be the case here?
Ideal Scar - Jeremy Irons
Jeremy Irons returning as Scar is number 1 on my wish list for this movie as a whole. Irons brought such phenomenal menace but at the same time a charming humour to the villainous Scar the first time around, and still stands as one of Disney's best villains to date. Irons is still an incredible actor today, and continues to turn in show-stopping performances in a great deal of his movies. There is no doubt that he would be able to bring Scar to life again even 25 years after the original release of the animated movie. Also, come on, it would be spine-tingling to here him perform "Be Prepared" all these years later. With that said, although this is the ideal outcome for me, I do not think it is very likely. Although James Earl Jones is coming back as Mufasa, he ultimately is not in the film for very long and it could be that he is being cast for nostalgic purposes. Scar is a much larger part, and so Disney might want to separate themselves from the original as far as possible by casting new actors, which is why you can see my second pick for a new Scar here as well.
New Scar - Benedict Cumberbatch
This is hands down what I would consider the most predictable entry on this list. When people think of Scar, they think menacing, a strong dramatic voice, and British. Put those 3 together and look for a modern actor, and Benedict Cumberbatch is going to come out at the top of any list. And for good reason! Cumberbatch in my mind absolutely has the acting chops to match Irons' performance and reinvigorate the character of Scar. Although it would undoubtedly be compared to an unfair extent to the original version and be practically identical in a number of areas, that might not necessarily be a bad thing. Cumberbatch is a reliable performer, and has yet to turn in a truly terrible turn in any movie or TV show, so his casting as Scar would be an excellent (if perhaps overly safe) piece of casting on the part of Disney.
Zazu - Rowan Atkinson
There are certain roles that you just cannot replace. Although Jeremy Irons is perfect as Scar, there are other actors that can take up the mantle. Zazu is one role that cannot be replaced, and Rowan Atkinson absolutely must be brought back to reprise the part. I say this because, although I thought long and hard about it, I could not think of someone who could step into this part's shoes and fill the character with the same sass, attitude, humour and loyalty Atkinson brought to the part in the original version. So I cheated and just included him here. Sorry. Let's face it though, Rowan Atkinson's voice has not really aged much over the years, and he absolutely still has the acting ability to inject a live-action version of Zazu with the same energy and fun to the part in 2019, 25 years after he originally played the part.
Timone - Simon Pegg
Timone the meerkat is a difficult character to bring to life but, if I had to pick a modern comedic actor, then who better than Simon Pegg? Pegg is a recognisable household name these days, and has the witty, sarcastic tendencies that may make him perfect to tackle Timone. His humour and fun personality are of course the main selling points of this casting, not to mention that it would simply be really interesting to hear Simon Pegg's rendition of "Can You Feel The Love Tonight?" In all honesty, however, I do believe that he could pull off the song. As I've already noted, actors can be taught to sing, so why not Simon Pegg? Of course, the classic danger of this casting is that he will bring partner in crime Nick Frost along for the ride to take up the role of Puumba, which would be an instant negative. If Disney can avoid that scary possibility, then this casting would be much more attractive. (Just as a quick side note, I am predicting that this and Puumba below will be the most controversial castings here, but it's not like Disney are going to use my list for reference for their castings, so I don't think there's anything to worry about).
Puumba - Kevin James
Hang on, hang on, put your torches and pitchforks down and just hear me out for one second! Where do we mostly know Kevin James from? That's right, bad Adam Sandler movies, and that is the perception we all have of him when we hear the name! Outside of those movies, however, he's actually a great comic, and has put in some good, heartfelt performances in other movies. James certainly has the voice to bring Puumba to life and the...let's say, physical presence to pull off a motion capture performance for this particular character, should Disney be looking for a motion capture performance, which is likely after the success of Jungle Book. Puumba is one of the original's more underrated heartfelt heroes, and, if you move past the initial fat joke wall Adam Sandler has unfortunately built in front of him over the years, he might be perfect for brining the role into the modern era. Probably the least likely casting on this list, but a fun proposition all the same.
Rafiki - Idris Elba
This is the casting I struggled the most with, but I've ultimately settled on a rising star in terms of British actors right now. Idris Elba is beginning to be recognised worldwide, particularly for his roles in blockbusters like "The Jungle Book" and "Star Trek Beyond". He can give very soft, emotional and dramatic performances in addition to his villainous turns in those two movies, however, and I think that he will be able to channel that to reinvent Rafiki for this live-action take on The Lion King. Rafiki has always been portrayed as the eccentric mystic and wise man of the animals who use Pride Rock as their home, although he has usually been shown to be an older animal as well. Not only could Idris Elba's voice fit the character perfectly in the usual incarnation, but who's to say that director Jon Favreau wouldn't be willing to change the character slightly to make his voice even more fitting? Either way, with his soft delivery and emotional capacity, Elba would be a great, fun addition to the cast ranks.
Rafiki (Second Choice) - Forest Whitaker
That said, I had two thoughts for Rafiki, and this one is far more traditional. What if Disney want a wise, mentor character who can give character a distinct voice and personality? Then Disney might as well call up Forest Whitaker and offer his the part on the spot. As he has shown over the years, Whitaker is more than capable of imbuing a part with intense levity and gravitas, and will only be able to give every line real weight to it. As for his voice and mentor qualities, I refer you to his (small) role as Saw Gerrera in last year's "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story". That role alone should serve as great experience for those personality traits. All in all, I would be happy to see either actor here cast as Rafiki. It all depends on whether Disney want a traditional version of their mystic mandrill, or are looking to take the character in a different direction this time around.
The Hyenas - Whoopi Goldberg, Cheech Martin, and Jim Cummings
There's honestly not much to say here. These are iconic characters to many people who grew up with the original movie and all of the actors still have the talent to reprise their roles as the characters. It would be a dream to hear their voices again in these roles, but with a live-action setting. Make it happen Disney!
Sarabi - Viola Davis
This is the final entry on my list, and is all about Simba's mother. A small supporting character in the original movie, but a character who had their role significantly expanded in the musical, so it's absolutely possible that this is going to transfer into the live-action version as well, particularly if the runtime is going to have to be expanded to fill a full 1 hour and 45 minutes to 2 hour time slot. In saying that, Viola Davis is perfect in my mind to take up the role of Sarabi. Davis is able to deliver emotional and dramatic performances in whatever role she has taken on, but also has a tougher edge. In the musical, Sarabi leads the lionesses of the pride, and is crucial is standing up to Scar's tyrannical rule and helping Simba in his revolt against his uncle in the finale. All in all, she comes across as the perfect actress to significantly expand on what is little more than a bit part in the original, and give it the heart and soul of the hero's mother deserves.
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