Disney’s live-action remake ofThe Lion Kingis starting to come together. The casting process for the movie is currently ongoing and it looks like director Jon Favreau has locked down a couple of actors for very key supporting roles. Timon the meerkat and Pumbaa the warthog will, assuming everything goes well, be voiced by Seth Rogen and Billy Eichner respectively.
According toThe Wrap, both Seth Rogen and Billy Eichner are in final negotiations to voice Timon and Pumbaa inThe Lion King remake. They will join a voice cast that already includes Donald Glover asSimbaand James Earl Jones, who is returning to voice Mufasa, just as he did in the 1994 animated classic. The deals aren’t done yet, so anything could happen, but this is Disney we’re talking about, so unless something crazy happens, it looks like these will be ournew voicesfor the iconic buddy duo of Timon and Pumba.
While nobody may have thought about Seth Rogen as the right guy to voice a character in a Disney movie that will be marketed heavily to a younger audience, he does seem to fit Pumbaa quite well. The same can be said for Billy Eichner, who many recognize fromParks and Recreationor hisBilly on the StreetTV series. His neurotic nature definitely seems to suit the character of Timon. In the 1994 version ofThe Lion King, Timon was voiced by Nathan Lane, while Pumbaa was voiced by Ernie Sabella. They will definitely be hard to replace, but Disney has definitely found a couple of very interesting actors to take over for this “reimagining” of the classic tale. Let’s just hope they can sing, because there is no way this remake is going to happen without a new version of “Hakuna Matata.”
Disney has been having a lot of success in recent years with remakes of theiranimated classics. Recently,Beauty and the Beastcrossed the $1 billion mark at the box office, so they should have every reason to think they can make a new version ofThe Lion Kingwork as well. They also have similar remakes ofMulan,AladdinandDumbo, among others, in various stages of development as well. ButThe Lion Kingis easily one of the most beloved animated movies Disney has ever released, so they will have to handle this one delicately. Even if it is a possibly risky prospect, there is money to be made and money talks.
Jon Favreau, who most recently helmed the live-action version ofThe Jungle Bookfor Disney, has been tapped to directThe Lion Kingremake. The studio also recently locked down a release date for the movie, with it now set to debut on June 09, 2025. We will be sure to keep you up to date with any other casting updates or other important news aboutThe Lion Kingas it is made available.
