'Be Prepared' for Jon Favreau's New Project: THE LION KING

FTC Statement: Reviewers are frequently provided by the publisher/production company with a copy of the material being reviewed.The opinions published are solely those of the respective reviewers and may not reflect the opinions of CriticalBlast.com or its management.

As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. (This is a legal requirement, as apparently some sites advertise for Amazon for free. Yes, that's sarcasm.)

Submitted by S.J. Mitchell on Wed, 09/28/2016 - 10:58

There will be more references made to the original animated movie than Rafiki can shake a stick at, but with news that Jon Favreau (THE JUNGLE BOOK) is directing a live action update of The LION KING, I am pouncing out of my skin!

It only seemed like a natural progression with the success of THE JUNGLE BOOK, especially if you leapt out of your seat while Mowgli rode on the back of a wildebeast. I got excited and then my heart sank as I thought of that memorable scene where Mufasa died trying to save Simba.

Too soon. It will always be too soon to revisit that emotional moment.

There is no reason we can't get Jeremy Irons and James Earl Jones to reprise their roles as Scar and Mufasa respectively. And heck, even Nathan Lane and Ernie Sabella as Timon and Pumba are capable of jumping into the fray.

While I doubt we'll get a reunion of cast members coming back, it would be pretty awesome.

If you're worried about the music, file that one under 'hakuna matata' because one thing that SHOULD make a return is the award winning songs from the original soundtrack. Just like in THE JUNGLE BOOK as Baloo sang "Bare Necessities" and King Louie howled a version of "I Wan'na Be Like You", expect to hear "I Just Can't Wait to be King".

However, if the movie doesn't open with fantastic views of the African Savannah with "Circle of Life" playing in the background, well, then Jon Favreau should just 'run away...and never return'.

The original animated movie grossed over $950 million worldwide and won multiple awards for it's music and animation. The 'live' action update may not contain live animals but it will certainly offer a new perspective on one of Disney's most successful films of all time.

As of right now there is no release date for THE LION KING live action movie. Stayed tuned for more details as they're released. Are you looking forward to the 'LIVE' action update to THE LION KING?