Walt Disney Studio has confirmed that "The Jungle Book" director Jon Favreau is working on a remake of the animated classic "The Lion King," which is coming back as a live-action/CG project.
Favreau is reportedly fast-tracking a live-action retelling of the '90s animated movie "The Lion King" which will include soundtracks from the original film. Based on the lengthy production of the first live-action/CG product of Disney, "The Jungle Book," "The Lion King" reboot won't come to theaters anytime soon. The exact premiere date is also yet to be discussed after the production timeline is calculated, as per reports.
Favreau has proven that the cutting-edge technology can be a great tool for filmmakers to breathe new life into animated classics, and he has demonstrated it when he brought "The Jungle Book" back to theaters earlier this year.
With the successful return of Mowgli, many of the Disney movie fans have expected to see a sequel to the movie, but as it turns out, the film director has something different in mind -- "The Lion King" coming to real life.
Disney is reteaming with Favreau to create a 21st century take on the "The Lion King," which the company has fast-tracked to production, the studio announced.
"'The Lion King' builds on Disney's success of reimagining its classics for a contemporary audience with films like 'Maleficent,' 'Cinderella' and 'The Jungle Book,'" Disney noted on its website. "The upcoming 'Beauty and the Beast', led by Emma Watson as Belle, is already one of the most anticipated movies of 2017. Like 'Beauty and the Beast,' 'The Lion King' will include songs from the animated film," it added.
According to records, the animated version of "The Lion King" released in 1994 surprisingly banked $969 million dollars, making the movie one of the highest-grossing animated movies of all time. Additionally, the film's main soundtrack "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" won an Oscar award.
Favreau said in a statement that he will build "The Lion King" remake on what he accomplished with "The Jungle Book" -- using real life characters plus bringing the jungle setting and its animals. The process is now made possible via cutting edge technology and a green-screen set in a studio in Los Angeles.
Disney will release "Beauty and the Beast" in theaters in 2017, hence "The Lion King" reboot is expected to come later in 2018.
