The Wrap is reporting that John Oliver has joined the cast of Walt Disney Studios' upcoming live-action remake of their 1994 classic, The Lion King. He'll voice the red-billed hornbill Zazu, who served as majordomo to Mufasa, Scar, and Simba.
Oliver joins a stellar voice cast that already features Donald Glover as Simba, James Earl Jones as Mufasa, Billy Eichner as Timon, and Seth Rogen as Pumbaa. Additionally, it was rumored earlier this year that Beyoncé was the director's top choice for Nala, but we have yet to receive any sort of confirmation from the studio.
Jon Favreau (Iron Man, The Jungle Book), who is coming in hot after an appearance in Marvel's Spider-Man: Homecoming, is helming the feature with a screenplay from Jeff Nathanson (Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales). Production reportedly got underway in May and filming is expected to wrap this September, as per Omega Underground.
While Oliver currently hosts the acclaimed HBO late night talk show Last Week Tonight with John Oliver and is well-known for his runs on The Daily Show and Community, he is no stranger to voice work, having recently guest starred on episodes of The Simpsons, Bob's Burgers, Danger Mouse, Robot Chicken, and Rick and Morty. He also voiced Vanity Smurf in 2011's The Smurfs and its 2013 sequel. His upcoming slate includes another voice role in Paramount Animation's Amusement Park, which is headlined by Mila Kunis ( A Bad Moms Christmas) & Jennifer Garner (Wakefield).
So, what do you guys think? Sound off with your thoughts below!
The Lion King roars into theaters July 19, 2019