After finding huge success with his live-action/CGI take on The Jungle Book, it has been revealed today that director Jon Favreau is working with Disney on a reimagining of The Lion King. According to the press release, the movie has been put on the fast track to production.
There’s no word on whether or not Favreau will direct, but after The Jungle Book earned a massive $965.8 million worldwide, it’s thought that he’ll return to helm the sequel so it could be that the filmmaker just ends up lending his expertise to whoever works on The Lion King.
Either way, following that movie’s success, it’s hardly a surprise that Disney is now looking to utilise the same technology for this property as it’s easy to imagine Simba and company all being brought to life in the same convincing way as the likes of Baloo and Bagheera.
Like the upcoming live-action take on Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King will include songs from the animated film. Disney and Favreau are also in development on a sequel to The Jungle Book. As of right now, no release date has been announced for either of the films.
The Lion King (1994) is one of the biggest animated films of all time with a lifetime global box office gross of $968.8 million, including $422.8 million domestically. In 1997, the stage production The Lion King made its Broadway debut, winning six Tony Awards in the process.
