NAAAAAAAH SEBENYAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!
It's happening, people. There's going to be a new Lion King movie. In theaters. In 2019. They hype is very, very real.
Yesterday, Disney announced the star-studded cast, and boy oh boy is it ever amazing.
Beyoncé as Nala
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Beyoncé could literally play the letter "L" from the movie poster and still be the star of the show. We can't wait to hear her voice singing "Can You Feel the Love Tonight?" Obviously, Nala needs a Simba. That character was also perfectly cast.Donald Glover as Simba
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We're going to be seeing even more of the Atlanta creator and star in the next couple of years. He's playing Lando Calrissian in Solo: A Star Wars Story in 2017, then he'll go on to voice Simba in The Lion King.Shahadi Wright Joseph as Young Nala
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If you're a musical fan, you might recognize Shahadi Wright Joseph as Little Inez Stubbs from Hairspray Live! If you haven't yet heard her sing "Breathe" from In The Heights, you're missing out.JD McCrary as Young Simba
JD McCrary is the 9 year-old singer on Childish Gambino’s “Terrified.” https://t.co/bwqFMZA55n https://t.co/8PtXQa0GeR— The FADER (@The FADER)1481107344.0
James Earl Jones as Mufasa
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That's right, Jones is reprising one of his all-time greatest roles. It's impossible to imagine anyone else voicing Mufasa, right? Thank goodness we don't have to. That's one of Simba's parents, but what about Sarabi?Alfre Woodard as Sarabi
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Sarabi (Simba's mom) will be voiced by actress Alfre Woodard, who has held previous roles in 12 Years a Slave, Captain America: Civil War, and the Netflix version of A Series of Unfortunate Events.Chiwetel Ejiofor as Scar
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Ejiofor played the lead role of Solomon Northrup in 12 Years a Slave, for which he received an Academy Award nomination. He also appeared in The Martian and Doctor Strange.John Oliver as Zazu
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Last Week Tonight host John Oliver basically is Zazu, except for the whole "being a bird" thing. Yet another perfect match.Seth Rogen as Pumbaa
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Superbad? More Like Super Good...casting. We're sure Rogen will handle the classic Pumbaa fart jokes with great élan.Billy Eichner as Timon
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Considering that Eichner's previous roles have almost exclusively been shouty and smarmy, casting him as Timon was a great move. Now we're just wondering if he and Rogen are eating any bugs to prepare for the role. What about everyone's favorite wise (if slightly unhinged) mandrill?John Kani as Rafiki
Happy 74th Birthday to a Legend, Dr. John Kani, enjoy your day Baba🎂🎊💃🎉 https://t.co/2tEPx7ZF3j— ZAlebs (@ZAlebs)1504164780.0
Florence Kasumba as Shenzi
Shenzi is one of the three speaking hyena characters. In the original film, she was played by Whoopi Goldberg. Kasumba is a German actress who has appeared in both Captain America: Civil War and Wonder Woman.Keegan-Michael Key as Kamari
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The other two hyenas from the film (Ed and Bonzai) have been renamed for the new Lion King movie. Bonzai is now Kamari and will be played by the Key half of Key and Peele.Eric André as Azizi
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In the original film, Azizi was named Ed. You probably remember him better as the goofiest hyena who didn't do much talking. We can't wait to see how Kasumba, Key, and André play off each other in the new film. Is it 2019 yet?!