In this week’s The Lion King news, Seth Rogan and Billy Eichner are reportedly in the final negotiations to play Timon and Pumbaa.
We have to admit Eichner would make a perfect Timon and Rogan would be a hilarious Pumbaa. And we already know that the two have good chemistry — Rogan appeared on Billy on the Street in November and the two seemed to get on perfectly (check it out below).
The actors join a star-studded cast. Jon Favreau previously announced via Twitter that Donald Glover will play Simba and James Earl Jones will reprise his role as Mufasa — because, let’s be honest, nobody else should ever play Mufasa.
We’re a tad concerned, however, about the politics of the casting decision. Two white guys playing African-dwelling creatures? We wonder if it will end up becoming an issue at some point.
Disney has yet to confirm any of these castings, but we’re going to take Mr. Favreau on his word for this one. The film is set to come out June 2019.
The Lion King joins Mulan as Disney’s campaign to turn animated classics into live-action remakes. Mulan will come to theaters November 2018, so we still have a little over a year to go.
