Seth Rogen, Billy Eichner adding voices to ‘Lion King’ remake
LOS ANGELES — Seth Rogen and Billy Eichner have been tapped to voice Timon and Pumbaa in Disney’s live-action adaptation of “The Lion King,” sources confirmed to Variety.
Donald Glover is on board to voice Simba, while James Earl Jones will reprise his role of Mufasa that he voiced in the original. Beyonce is still circling the role of Nala.
In the original, Timon and Pumbaa were the lovable meerkat and warthog who look after Simba after he flees his kingdom.
Jon Favreau is directing with Jeff Nathanson writing. The film is being fast-tracked, with the studio recently dating it for July 19, 2019.
“Lion King” was originally released in 1994 and is one of the highest-grossing animated films of all time, ultimately hauling $968.5 million worldwide.
The studio’s emphasis on live-action adaptations follows the successes of “Alice in Wonderland” (2010), “Maleficent” (2014), “Cinderella” (2015), and, most recently, “Beauty and the Beast,” which has made more than $1 billion worldwide. The studio is also ramping up production on “Dumbo,” directed by Tim Burton, as well as a “Mulan” pic.
Rogen is no stranger to voice acting, having done such as animated hits like “Kung Fu Panda,” “Monsters vs. Aliens,” and last year’s “Sausage Party,” which he also co-wrote and produced. He is repped by UTA, Principal Entertainment, and Felker Toczek.
Eichner is best known as the host of “Billy on the Street” and also stars in the Hulu series “Difficult People.” He is repped by UTA and 3 Arts.
TheWrap first reported the news.