My Lion King Forum

I've been doing some more researching and found a rather interesting tidbit. Apparently Meryl Streep was to voice a character in the movie. This came from the Dec 20, 1992 edition of Newsday, which I assume is a reliable newspaper. An excerpt is below and the original article is here: http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/newsday/acc ... MTS=ABS:FT You have to pay to get the whole 878-word article, but the snippet that concerns the Lion King is available for free. You have to look closely, all the text is squeezed together. Had anyone heard this and, if so, do we know what role she was going to have?

[quote]NATHAN LANE] spent six weeks in Toronto filming "Life With Mickey" opposite Michael J. Fox and Cyndi Lauper. Lane and Fox play brothers who run a children's talent agency - for talentless children. Nathan also just wrapped Disney's animated musical, "The Lion King." This features songs by Elton John and Tim Rice and includes the voices of Meryl Streep, James Earl Jones, Jeremy Irons and Matthew Broderick. Nathan provides the voice of Timon, the meerkat - which is not quite a mongoose, but close. [/quote]

There are several people who helped with the songs - I will be that most of them were in "I Just Can't Wait To Be King". That is also where Rick Astley helped out.

Oh, she was a singer? Cool! She was great in Mamma Mia and I know she sang an uncredited part in Out of Africa (Excellent movie BTW)

[quote="DGFone"]There are several people who helped with the songs - I will be that most of them were in "I Just Can't Wait To Be King". That is also where Rick Astley helped out.[/quote]

On the contrary, Rick Astley provided background vocals only for Elton John's rendition of "Can You Feel the Love Tonight".

As for Meryl Streep, this piece of information is new to me. It could be a plausible mistake, as none of the original filmmakers mentioned her suggested casting her as a character in any documentary interviews, like Minkoff and Allers mentioned wanted Tommy Chong to voice a hyena alongside Banzai on the Laserdisc release. But, if it's not, I speculate the filmmakers may have wanted her to play Sarabi. For some reason, her voice should a little mother-like to me.

[quote="TheLionPrince"]I speculate the filmmakers may have wanted her to play Sarabi. For some reason, her voice should a little mother-like to me.[/quote]

She has a great voice and she probably would have been cast as either Sarabi or Nala, but she got left on the cutting room floor. I can't really complain as Madge and Moira do an excellent job.

Could she have been the original Nala? Broderick mentions working with someone that wasn't Moria Kelly on the TLK blu ray and that "there was a change".

[quote="Wrightfan"]Could she have been the original Nala? Broderick mentions working with someone that wasn't Moria Kelly on the TLK blu ray and that "there was a change".[/quote]
Yep, its official. I have to get the Blu Ray.

Seriously though, I bet he's talking about her.

OMG really? That's so cool! She would have done a great job I am sure She's amazing.

I'm not sure who that is but she was probably a chorus member

[quote="SweetNala"]I'm not sure who that is but she was probably a chorus member[/quote]

This is Meryl Streep.

She's a big time movie actress. You may have seen her in The Devil Wears Prada, Out of Africa, Mamma Mia!, Manchurian Candidate (2004), Silkwood, Sophie's Choice (won an Oscar for this ), or The Bridges of Madison County. The year before last she was in Julie and Julia with Amy Adams and It's Complicated with Steve Martin.