It's official, there's gonna be a tlk remake.

[gothprincesskiara]

[quote="Elton John"]People, not really here but on facebook etc, are throwing hissy fits by the fact that they're replacing a lot of voice actors for the remake.

Besides my line of thought 'what's the point in a remake if the only thing changed is the visuals' is that the lion king happened almost 25 years ago. None of the actors were contractually obliged to voice their characters forever. Some of the actors are dead. Some are really old and retired. Some, like nikita calame and jtt are too old to voice their characters anymore.

And there are the rumors that broderick, nathan lane and jeremy irons refuse to work for disney anymore.

I want a mostly fresh take on the lion king. A scene for scene detail by detail remake would be so boring, and one of the worst atrocities a film can commit is being boring.

Lets compare 'batman forever' and 'batman and robin' Batman Forever is the technically better movie, batman and robin is the worse movie. However batman forever is really boring and while it's an awful movie there's something about batman and robin that makes it more memorable.

If this remake is bad, we still have the original. If it somehow ends up being good or great then hey, we now have it and the original to enjoy.[/quote]

I am so with you on this, alot of things are being released lately and its just sad how so many fans of the fandoms are complaining "oh how could they ruin the original Spirit, Oh they are going to ruin Timon and Pumbaa" I hope the complaining dies down like it did with TLG, alot more TLK fans embrace the show now, but still im so sick and tired of trying to tell these people the past doesnt last forever, nothing lasts forever, change is hard, but when your given lemons you make lemonade, these people need to have a more open mind and use there imagination, its like they act they rule over these productions when they dont even do research on the passed actors, to me it makes sense why some actors dont stay in a movie for ever, I think its common sense, sorry im just so hurt by all the down trash talk i keep hearing from them, and I dont even know if it getting too excited over false expectations, wishful thinking is one thing but when you over fantasize about your only going to be dissapointed.

[Elton John]

I'm really excited that Disney is reviving The Lion King as a franchise. Disney is more than just Frozen, Marvel and Star Wars. I like Jon Favreau as a director and i'm going to trust in his judgement for this movie.

[Rollo]

Haven't posted on this forum in forever, but the casting of Timon and Pumbaa prompted me to share my thoughts!

Personally, I'm completely for this decision and I'm crossing my fingers that it's true. I actually think Seth Rogen would bring more charm to Pumbaa than Sabella did. You can see why they have him in mind---forget about the fact that he and James Franco were a lot of people's choice for T&P in terms of fancasting, but he has the same warm, gravelly tones that Sabella has, and he's a fine voice actor. I like his work in Kung Fu Panda. He's easy on the ears and quite pleasant to listen to.

Eichner as Timon is fantastic. Eichner is the host of "Billy on the Street" and has the frantic air that you'd expect from such a small animal in a landscape dominated by big animals. He's loud, brash and fast-paced. Not to mention the New Yorker vibes, akin to Lane's performance, plus the fact he's so obviously queer, which I love. Not sure if Favreau is going to expand on their relationship and take it down that route--personally I'd prefer the whole brotherhood bachelor vibes, but Timon's definitely got some metrosexual attributes, they're present in the original film.

I will admit that I'm somewhat disappointed that they didn't go with POC voice actors for them. I was hoping that the entire cast for this film would consist of POC. Key and Peele would have been good. But, if they go down the route that the musical has taken, with select characters in the American and British productions being white---Timon, Pumbaa, Zazu---then that's fine with me. But don't make them the majority. Let this film be proud of its setting and the heritage that comes with that.

I know Scar is also played by a white actor in the British/American musical (can't speak for other productions), but I think it would be better if all the key players in this movie were POC. Some people might have the opinion that talent wins over ethnicity, which is very valid, but this movie could help so many unknown POC actors/actresses get their chance at stardom. I loved that they did that for Moana's voice actress, and would like to see it here too.

[Elton John]

I would have loved an all african/black/african american etc etc etc voice cast.

One of my choices for adult simba was Chadwick Bosman...but I realized that would make it too close to his characters story arc from Captain America Civil War. Idris Elba as Scar, but he already played a similar character, Shere Khan.

I would have been ok with Denzel Washington playing Mufasa.

I'm rooting for Viola Davis as Sarabi!

[TheLionPrince]

[quote="Elton John"]People, not really here but on facebook etc, are throwing hissy fits by the fact that they're replacing a lot of voice actors for the remake.

Besides my line of thought 'what's the point in a remake if the only thing changed is the visuals' is that the lion king happened almost 25 years ago. None of the actors were contractually obliged to voice their characters forever. Some of the actors are dead. Some are really old and retired. Some, like nikita calame and jtt are too old to voice their characters anymore.

And there are the rumors that broderick, nathan lane and jeremy irons refuse to work for disney anymore.
[/quote]

A little fact checking, here. As far as I'm concerned, only two actors of the original cast are dead: Madge Sinclair and Zoe Leader. While Jeremy Irons, Cheech Marin, Whoopi Goldberg, and most of the cast (aside from Broderick and Moira Kelly) are in their 60s and 70s, none of them have officially announced retirement. Nikita Calame and Jonathan Taylor-Thomas are definitely too old to voice their characters so no rational fan should have been expecting their return.

Where exactly is the source of rumors that Broderick, Lane, and Irons refuse to work for Disney coming from? A few months ago, you posted that it was rumored that Broderick refused to work for Disney and now Nathan Lane and Jeremy Irons are in the same boat?

[quote="Elton John"]I'm rooting for Viola Davis as Sarabi![/quote]

Fingers crossed.

[Elton John]

It's just based on things i've heard. That's why I called it a rumor and not a fact.

I just assume that the og voice actor for Rafiki is retired. Does Jim Cummings still do voicework? Does Rowen Atkinson still act?

Then again I thought that Jack Nicholson had retired after The Departed but I hear he's now in a new movie? I also assumed Michael Keaton and Jeff Goldblum retired but here they are, back acting.

I really should just stop assuming things.

[Panpardus]

Just checking in on here after seeing the recent announcements.

A little disappointed about Timon and Pumbaa's casting. It's not so much that they're not POC (if the show is going to be cast along the lines of the Broadway version, then as someone mentioned earlier, Timon and Pumbaa are usually played by white guys in American and European tours, although the South African casting is almost entirely black with the exception of Scar and Zazu), it's just that I feel Disney's keeping it a little too close to the cartoon versions of the characters. I don't really have a problem with Seth Rogan - though I don't find him as funny as many people do - it's more Timon's casting that I'm disappointed about. I'd have rather gone with someone like Trevor Noah, particularly since I was banking on Disney reviving Timon's "spritely Johannesburg township" accent from the original script and Noah was raised in that exact environment. (It's essentially the African equivalent to the fast-talking Jewish New Yorker vibe that Timon has.) Given that they're clearly not going to have an entirely African-accented cast - seriously though, the show sounds so much better with it - I really hoped that Rafiki wouldn't be the only character with an African accent again.

Also, I may have mentioned this before, but Niketa Calame could definitely come back to voice Nala, just not as a cub, obviously. It'd be cool to have heard her literally grow with the role. (Jonathan Taylor Thomas could come back too as adult Simba, but obviously that's not how this is gonna go.) Granted, Beyoncé isn't anywhere near a final decision based on the announcements we got, we just know that she was at the top of Favreau's list of preferences, so I still have a little hope.

Also, now that we have a target release date, I guess Disney is going to keep The Lion Guard running concurrent with this film's release, which I find a little odd.

[Elton John]

Why is it odd? The Lion Guard is making Disney good money. I'm even seeing tlg merch show up at my local supermarkets. They aren't going to cancel it any time soon.

[Rollo]

The original concept for Timon would have been a fresh take on the character, I agree. Timon and Pumbaa aren't treasured by me like some elements of the original film are, so I'm open to new ideas for them. My theory is that in choosing what he supposedly has---this news hasn't been confirmed yet by anyone affiliated with Disney, to my knowledge--Favreau wants to keep a little familiarity as he essentially strips the movie apart to create something mostly new. It would make sense that Timon and Pumbaa remain largely the same in lieu of a totally new take on an old story. Timon and Pumbaa, and Mufasa with JEJ coming back to voice him, is what keeps the story, and the audience, connected to the film's 2D roots. Just a theory, though.

As a sidenote, I've been growing more and more anxious about the announcement of whoever's composing the film's score. I'm a little worried Favreau keeps John Debney on board for this project. He did a successful job with The Jungle Book, but its score was not as iconic as TLK's is and with the music being second to the story in terms of importance, you need someone who can really hit all those marks.

I am completely indifferent to Hans Zimmer returning because I honestly believe the man has lost his touch. Personally leaning toward Michael Giacchino. You can hear some tribal elements in his score for Zootopia, "The Case of the Manchas" is a good example of what he can do with those kind of instruments. I think he could create something truly wonderful for this movie. If he needed any assistance, I wouldn't be opposed to John Powell joining the team...

[Elton John]

I want Mark Mancina on the score and lin manuel miranda to write new musical numbers.