Reimagined The Lion King confirmed

[Nit]

I knew it! I always though that the new "The Jungle Book" is just a safe test ground before making a serious move and doing the same with "The Lion King".

September 28, 2016
Disney and Jon Favreau Joining Forces on “The Lion King”

We can officially confirm that The Walt Disney Studios and director Jon Favreau are putting a new reimagining of The Lion King on the fast track to production. The project follows the technologically groundbreaking smash hit The Jungle Book, directed by Favreau, which debuted in April and has earned $965.8 million worldwide.

The Lion King builds on Disney’s success of reimagining its classics for a contemporary audience with films like Maleficent, Cinderella, and The Jungle Book. The upcoming Beauty and the Beast, starring Emma Watson as Belle, is already one of the most anticipated movies of 2017. Like Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King will include songs from the animated film. Disney and Favreau are also in development on a sequel to The Jungle Book. No release date has been announced for either film.

The Lion King (1994) is one of the biggest animated films of all time with a lifetime global box office gross of $968.8 million, including $422.8 million domestically. It won Academy Awards for the original song “Can You Feel the Love Tonight” (Elton John, Tim Rice) and original score (Hans Zimmer), plus two Grammy Awards, with the soundtrack selling over 14 million copies. In 1997, the stage production The Lion King made its Broadway debut, winning six Tony Awards; 19 years later, it remains one of Broadway’s biggest hits alongside several other productions running around the world, including London, Hamburg, Tokyo, Madrid, Mexico City, Shanghai, and North America. Translated into eight different languages, its 23 global productions have been seen by more than 85 million people across every continent except Antarctica. The Lion King’s worldwide gross exceeds that of any film, Broadway show or other entertainment title in box office history.

https://thewaltdisneycompany.com/dis...the-lion-king/

I'm excited. And a little bit worried, but mostly optymistic!

Now I wonder... what about "Brother Bear"?

[KanuTGL]

Oh gods. No. Please no ;__;

This really makes me so, so sad. I know it was probably inevitable, but... somehow I hoped that they would leave TLK alone.

[Leorgathar]

I almost had a heart attack when I heard the news and I had prepared for it beforehand, it would come eventually ><

I have very mixed feelings about this. I am partly excited for the news, and I'm glad Favreau is helming the project. But this isn't The Jungle Book, unlike that one, TLK is timeless and a groundbreaking success, and it doesn't feel dated like TJB. It would be like remaking Jurassic Park, crazy.

But I guess we'll have to accept it, so I look forward to hear more news

[Vidan]

Jon Favreau and team did a good job with The Jungle Book, so the news that he'll be involved with the re-imagined TLK also makes me optimistic. I doubt any of us feels like a remake is necessary, but if it inspires a new generation of fans, who am I to argue.

[Falconsfan22]

I thinking because they fast tracking the production it will be released at the earliest holiday season 2017 latest early 2018. I can't wait to see who they cast for the roles

[Guntur]

IMO this would be interesting instead of being a disaster.

and I would definitely agree with Woes' statement.

[This Land]

My opinion ? ill quote what i wrote on FB

"I knew this was going to happen sooner or later..... xD. I'm actually quite excited in a way, and before you hate me.

1. Jungle book was like 80% CGI and animals and was brilliant.
2. If the stage show never existed and someone told me "what if they made a stage show" I would of laughed in their face and said it would be terrible and no way they could pull it off, but yet they did.
3.I'm not saying its going to be better then the original. I'm not expecting it to be amazing in it self (though if it were to be, it would be a bonus) I'm excited in the sense of a different take on how the story is told and the visual effects capability (First ever Animated to full CGI "live action" film to be made). How the animators are going to portray lifelike versions of the characters and of course how the soundtrack is going to sound like.

I'm never a big fan of re-makes but i always give them a chance if they show effort and love for the film, not just a cheap production for quick cash. Im hoping this film wont be the latter"

May i also add that im sure that no matter what happens, nothing will change the original and that will stay exactly how it is, we can go back and enjoy any time we like cant we ?. Like jungle book they twisted it around, added things and taken stuff away and it worked very well. I will always see the animated and live action as 2 completely different films in different "universes".

As long as they do it with realistic looking lions (look how old Lion witch and the wardrobe is now and how amazing Aslan looked back then), set in realistic looking settings with its own unique charm then im looking forward to how they pull it off. Also if Hans Zimmer returns for the soundtrack i will most defiantly have a fanboy squeal moment xD

[cleargreenwater]

My first thought was and still is "I hate everything." Followed by writhing on the floor foaming at the mouth and lowing like a dying beast.

Since I've had all afternoon to realize I have not died, my only thought now and the light at the end of the tunnel, (that I am being dragged towards like a hooked fish being pulled to it's inevitable doom at the surface,) is that at least the hyenas will now finally look like actual hyenas.

But mostly still wishing I could leap into a cage of them and end it. :P

[Dare]

...

*writes the word "DENIAL" on a giant cardboard box*

*sits in the giant cardboard box*

*pulls the cardboard box lid closed*

[s-tlk]

That shouldn't come as a surprise after the success of the Jungle Book. A few years ago I would be very skeptical, but now I'm more curious of how this will look like. Don't forget, it will not make the original movie any less adorable, although I think it happens way to soon. At the 30th or even 40th anniversary of TLK, when all the hypes of TLG and the re-releases of TLK long vanished, it would imho have much more effect. They developed the technology and the framework now to accelerate the production and since D$ is a profit-oriented company they make the best of it. I'm only a bit concern about the "on the fast track" statement. Part of the story development they can save now, which took a long time in TLK, for almost four years they were refining the story until we saw the end result we all love. I hope they take at least some time to rethink the story and adapt it to the new technology, exploring its new possibilities without stupidly adding random action sequences.

I'm wondering if they can put a part of the original voice cast back together? That in conjunction with Hans Zimmer doing the score and Lebo M. the singing would increase the probability of a large success by 1000 percent.

[nathalie]

I don't know ... just leave it alone, lol.

But indeed, I told him first, lol, if they can make them look like Aslan ...

And voices, oh God ... I know you need to leave the original alone when watching something new, but this'll be extra hard, and no one will be able to beat the original animated movie voice cast

[KanuTGL]

I agree that if they had to do this, doing it for the 30th or 40th anniversary would have made more sense... On the other hand, sure, now's a good time to ride the TLG hype too I guess.

Argh, I just can't see how a "reimagined" Lion King is going to look much different from this, but with more CGI. There's an amount of expressive stylisation in TLK that, I think, just isn't suitable for photo realism. They're gonna have to do some really groundbreaking work and improve a lot from Jungle Book to make this work...

Also like I saw DJ88 say, now we're going to have people say "Did you see The Lion King? No, no, the original. The cartoon." and that for some reason makes me really sad :C

[nathalie]

Also like I saw DJ88 say, now we're going to have people say "Did you see The Lion King? No, no, the original. The cartoon." and that for some reason makes me really sad :C

Now that you mention this ... yeah :/

[Nit]

Same could be said about the musical years ago and noone seems to have the problem with that.

[KanuTGL]

The musical is not a movie though

[nathalie]

Oooh, when I first heard about the musical, I was also "please God no!" haha

And to be very honest, I'm still not a very huge fan of the musical.
Yes, I've seen it 4 times now, but the first time was just *because* you know ... hehe.
The other times have very much more to do with the actors and their live performances (as in = the songs mainly)

[cleargreenwater]

The musical is not a movie though

This, musicals are entirely different art forms. Plus a few other things that feed in to it.

1.) There's this obnoxious smugness about all of these remakes. Like, look how shiny and advanced our CG technology is now and aren't those old ones just so quaint? Let's show them up or redo them because we're soooooo much better.

2.) "Share them with the next generation! " How about letting the next generation have their own s--- instead of giving them ours whether we want you to or not? Everyone I know if they want to share something with the next generation has done or will do so of their own volition, in it's original form.

3.) I don't think it coincidence that the demise of traditional animation goes hand in hand with the democratization and household use of digital art technology. Suddenly anyone with a scanner and photoshop can draw and stack layers, so quick, let's change formats to something infinitely more technologically arcane that people can't do on their own so they don't start to think they can do this stuff themselves! One of the most passionate rants I ever heard at a concert was a musician pleading the same thing to their audience--don't think of music as something only other people can do! CG and 3D animation makes animation a specialist arena again.

4.) These dumb big baby Millennials! They're just overgrown arrested children and stupid with their money with their living at home with their parents selves, throw some no$talgia at them and those fools we love to complain about being immature so much will just *pour* their money into it! Lets exploit their childhoods for a quick buck some more! How easily manipulated are they!

It isn't just a Lion King remake for me, although its the biggest straw. Why the f--- do we need a new Jumanji. WHY? Robin Williams is barely cold yet, WTF. Is the old one really that unrelatable?

I've just reached a point where I want to tell all of them to eff off. My younger years weren't always great. These movies were my happy place and refuge from that. I'm too invested in them and they're all being run rough-shod over. It's become friggin predatory.

And that's my tantrum/rant, lol.

[Guntur]

My only concern is only how they will beat up the original voice acting in the new movie, I really really love and admire Moira Kelly's voice, I just want someone who vulnerable and shaken how Pride Rock turned into a wasteland like in Broadway and in the movie. Nala is still my go to personality for a partner. Matthew is really great as Simba and also Taylor who did justice as a cub. But for me for what I am concern is voicing Nala, Simba, Rafiki, Scar and Mufasa. They can't replace Vader at all in all Star Wars game and I don't think someone could ever match up James Earl Jones' voice. Jeremy Irons could jump in again to become Scar. I'm afraid that they would hire Kevin Hart as the Hyenas or something.

[Dare]

*peeks out of her cardboard box*

Far be it for me to be optimistic or seek a theoretical silver lining, but perhaps this remake could bring some new folks to the forum? Maybe...? I can hope...maybe it won't be terrible...

And to be very honest, I'm still not a very huge fan of the musical.

Same here - I'm an ex-stage tech, so I did appreciate the execution and the set design, but that's as far as it goes. I've only seen it once, and that was only because someone else paid for the ticket.

...or maybe I have seen it twice? I can't remember...bah, stupid brain.

Why the f--- do we need a new Jumanji.

Wait, whut?! Nyet.

[HasiraKali]

I am still going to sit here and hope that they don't go the CGI animal route. Who knows what "reimagined" means anymore. I also still just want a film of the musical. Well... an official film.