Chiwetel Ejiofor (12 Years A Slave) is in talks to voice the villainous Scar in Disney’s much-anticipated live-action remake of The Lion King, according to The Wrap. The film is set to be a full-on musical, and Ejiofor previously showed off his talented singing voice in Kinky Boots, so this feels like a pretty great match.
Thus far, director Jon Favreau has been collecting a huge array of talent for his reboot, and if signed on, Ejiofor will join Donald Glover as Simba, James Earl Jones as Mufasa, Billy Eichner and Seth Rogen as Timon and Pumbaa, and John Oliver as Zazu.
Jeremy Irons originally played the role in the 1994 film.
Favreau’s success with his live-action Jungle Book remake seems to have eased any potential worries Disney might have had about their plan for live-action remakes of their old classics – “live action” is a bit of a stretch since it’ll be heavily CGI’d – and have seemingly set their sights on a big A-list cast. Reportedly, the studio is still pursuing Beyoncé for a role.
With each casting announcement, excitement for the film cranks up a little more. The Lion King is set for release on July 19, 2019.
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