Jon Favreau has Donald Glover and James Earl Jones taking (or in Jones' case, re-taking) the main vocal roles in his new version of The Lion King. Now, with the film headed for a July 2019 release date, the director has found the people to voice comedy animal duo Timon and Pumbaa: Seth Rogen and Billy Eichner.
The lively meerkat (Timon, with Eichner now playing him) and farty warthog (Rogen's Pumbaa) are the key sidekicks to hero lion cub Simba (Glover) and responsible for singing one of the most iconic songs in Disney history, Hakuna Matata, drawn from the Swahili phrase for "no worries".
There's some pressure here: Nathan Lane and Ernie Sabella's performances in the 1994 movie are still considered classic work, so Rogen and Eichner will need to bring something fresh to the idea.
Disney has officially slotted the movie into a July 2019 slot and Favreau is now in pre-production, getting ready to bring the new version to life. Jeff Nathanson has written the script and the musical element will blend Elton John and Tim Rice's original songs with some new tunes.
Donald Glover And James Earl Jones Recruited For Disney's New Lion King