LION KING Sequel Series Finalizes Cast; Adds Rob Lowe As 'Simba' & Gabrielle Union As 'Nala'
Disney's upcoming TV sequel to their 1994 classic The Lion King has found its Simba & Nala. The film has also brought back more than a few familiar faces including James Earl Jones as Mufasa.
This November, Disney is gearing up to step back into the world of one of its all-time classics, The Lion King, with a televison sequel titled The Lion Guard: Return Of The Roar, which will air on the Disney Channel and serve as an extended pilot for a subsequent television series titled The Lion Guard, which is set to debut in January 2016.
Earlier today, the movie/show finalized its voice cast by adding a few new faces as well as bringing back a few old ones. First off, Max Charles (American Sniper) has landed the lead role of Simba & Nala's son Kion. The rest of the main cast includes Diamond White (Transformers: Rescue Bots), Dusan Brown (42), Atticus Shaffer (Hancock), and Joshua Rush (Chuck).
As for the characters you know and love, Rob Lowe (Parks & Recreation) has been cast as Simba and Gabrielle Union (Bad Boys II) has signed on as Nala. Other newcomers in old roles include Khary Payton (Batman: Arkham Knight) as Rafiki and Kevin Schon (Timon And Pumbaa) as Timon. As for returning voices, James Earl Jones, who voiced Simba's father Mufasa, and Ernie Sabella, the voice of Pumbaa, will both be back to reprise their original roles.
Additionally, Sarah Hyland (Modern Family) & Eden Riegel (Year One) have also joined the voice cast in yet-to-be disclosed roles. Although, there is a good chance one of them is voicing Simba & Nala's eldest daughter Kiara, who debuted in the 1998 direct-to-video sequel The Lion King II: Simba's Pride.
Check out this sneak peek, courtesy of Entertainment Weekly, at the opening song from the film, written and performed by Beau Black:
Plus, check out another clip below:
What do you guys think? Will you and/or your children be heading back to Pride Rock this fall? Sound off with your thoughts below!