Beyoncé will star in Disney’s remake of The Lion King, set to hit theaters in 2019, in the role of Nala.
Donald Glover will play Simba, James Earl Jones will reprise his role as Mufasa, and Chiwetel Ejiofor will play Scar. Other big names joining the cast include John Oliver as Zazu, Billy Eichner as Timon, Seth Rogan as Pumbaa, Eric André as Azizi, and Keegan-Michael Kee as Kamari.
#TheLionKing. 2019. 🦁👑 pic.twitter.com/UMJo18FwDt
— Disney (@Disney) November 1, 2017
There had been rumors that she was director Jon Favreau’s top choice for the role.
As you might expect, the Beyhive was abuzz with the news:
Never Miss a Beat
Subscribe to our newsletter to stay ahead of the latest LGBTQ+ political news and insights.
I am glad the Lion King is being rebooted so we can remember Scar can only be President for so long before Beyoncé shows up & fixes it
— Aparna Nancherla (@aparnapkin) November 2, 2017
I’m trying to shove dollar bills into the phone. Just take my money now. https://t.co/yUf1Ev2e9V
— Josh Gad (@joshgad) November 2, 2017
https://twitter.com/kingsleyyy/status/925859598329769984
I mean honestly just retitle it The Lion Queen now https://t.co/nnLDqyMXFj
— Marc (@MarcSnetiker) November 1, 2017