LOS ANGELES, CA - JULY 13: Singer Beyonce performs at the Staples Center on July 13, 2009 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)
Disney’s The Lion King live-action reboot has already cast Donald Glover AKA Childish Gambino and James Earl Jones (the previous Mufasa) in lead roles. Now none other than Beyonce is being eyed for a key role as well. Cue the happy dance.
Variety is reporting that director Jon Favreau is eyeing the singer/actress/megastar as his top choice to voice Nala in the upcoming remake. For those of you that don’t remember, Nala is Simba’s childhood friend and love interest.
Unfortuantely, the Grammy winner has not yet officially signed on to the project as she is currently pregnant with twins. Sources tell Variety, though, that Disney is willing to go to great lengths to accommodate Beyonce in order to land her for the role (no surprise there). Queen B announced her pregnancy in early February and dropped out as Coachella’s headliner as a result. Lady Gaga will replace her.
Glover will voice Simba with Jones reprising his role as the regal and awesome Mufasa.
Favreau is developing a sequel to his recent hit The Jungle Book, but it appears as if The Lion King remake will take precedence over that project. The original Lion King was released in 1994 and is one of the highest-grossing films of all time with $968.5 million worldwide. Disney has been on a live-action adaptation kick since 2010’s Alice in Wonderland earned north of $1 billion. Since then, Maleficent (2014), Cinderella (2015), The Jungle Book (2016), and this year’s Beauty and the Beast have all crushed at the box office.
This would mark Beyonce’s first film role since the Fox animated movie Epic. Other movie credits include Obsessed, Dreamgirls and Austin Powers: Goldmember.
