Get ready to board the feels train once again as the Live-Action remake of the classic Disney movie Lion King (1994) is coming to theatres near you on 19th July 2019. Directed by Jon Favreau, who has already proven to the world that he can direct a live-action movie by showing his skills in The Jungle Book (2016). The Lion King (2019) is one of the most anticipated movies of this year as it would give us fans the opportunity to relive the amazing moments which we experienced watching the original back in the 90’s. Although, the people who have already watched the original are familiar with the story, but even that would not stop them from rushing into the theatres and watch this masterpiece.
Here are 10 cool facts about the movie which you must know if you are a hardcore Lion king fan.
#1: We did not see it (Nazi) coming
The makers decided to remove the famous villainous song of Scar, “Be Prepared” due to its Nazi themes which Disney executives were reluctant to tackle and also because Chiwetel Ejiofor’s voice was not fit for the song. This decision did not go down well with the fans and critics because of which Disney gave in and added the song back.
#2: Doctor Strange influence
The director of this movie, Jon Favreau was so impressed by Chiwetel Ejiofor’s antagonistic character Baron Mordo in the movie Doctor Strange, that he straight away casted him for the role of the main antagonist in Lion King, Scar. The role was also offered to Benedict Cumberbatch, who was the protagonist in Doctor Strange.
#3: Authentic African descent
All the lions in this movie are voiced by actors of African descent to make it more authentic, unlike the 1994 original, in which only Mufasa, young Nala, Sarafina, and Sarabi were voiced by actors of African descent.
#4: No audition for Timon
Jon Favreau is a big fan of the work of Billy Eichner and Jon suggested to Billy’s agent about the role of Timon, which Billy accepted in a heartbeat without having to give any auditions for this role.
#5: Marvel Cinematic Universe
There are 6 actors in this movie, who are also associated in some way or other with the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Jon Favreau directed two Iron man movies and also played the role of Happy and he’s also the executive producer to many MCU movies. Donald Glover plays Aaron Davis, Ejiofor plays Baron Mordo, Alfre Woodard plays Mariah Dillard while John Kani and Florence Kasumba play T’Chaka and Ayo respectively.
#6: Headed towards a Blockbuster Opening
According to Box Office Pro, the projection for the opening weekend of this movie is between $180M to $230M. If this holds true, then it will have the biggest opening weekend of any Disney live-action remake, surpassing Beauty and the Beast’s record of $174M.
#7: Final Credit for Late Mark Livolsi
Mark Livolsi was one of the biggest film editors in Hollywood, editing movies like Devil Wears Prada, Crazy For Love, Wedding Crashers, The Girl Next door, The Judge, The Jungle book and now finally the Lion King. Mark Livolsi passed away in September 2018, at the age of 56.
#8: Disney+ debut
The Lion King will be one of the first movies to be released on Disney+ alongside Toy Story 4 and Frozen 2. This will mark as a beginning of a new era as we all know the future of Disney+ is huge and it would probably be the biggest streaming service in the future.
#9: Black Panther King
We have all noticed the similarities between the movie Black Panther and the Lion King. To add more weight to that fact, John Kani and Florence Kasumba have also played a role in the movie Black Panther. John Kani played T’Challa’s father T’Chaka and Kasumba played Ayo.
#10: The Lion King is NOT a Live-action film
The Lion King is often referred to as a live-action film, despite not having a single living thing, human or otherwise, actually ever appearing on the screen. So, the fans are factually wrong to call it a live-action movie.
