Slimy, yet satisfying.
The Wrap recently broke that Walt Disney Pictures has been in final talks to cast comedians Billy Eichner (Parks and Recreation) and Seth Rogen (Pineapple Express, This is the End) as the iconic animated duo Timon and Pumbaa (“You’ll learn to love ’em”) in the “live-action” motion-capture adaptation of their 1994 animated masterpiece, The Lion King.
Billy Eichner is set to play the wise-cracking meerkat Timon, portrayed in the original by Nathan Lane. Most famous for his TruTV series Billy on the Street with Billy Eichner and appearances on NBC’s Parks and Recreation, Eichner has also amassed a modest resume of animated voices, including roles in Fox’s Bob’s Burgers, Dreamworks’ The Penguins of Madagascar, and 2016’s The Angry Birds Movie.
Playing the lovably flatulent warthog Pumbaa (Mr. Pig) is Seth Rogen. Rogen has had quite the extensive track record for voices in animation. In addition to minor roles and guest appearances in The Simpsons, Family Guy, Dreamworks’ Monsters vs. Aliens, and Blue Sky’s Horton Hears a Who adaptation, Rogen starred as Master Mantis in the Kung Fu Panda franchise and broke new ground last year with the R-rated CGI comedy Sausage Party.
Directed by Jon Favreau (Iron Man, The Jungle Book), The Lion King has also cast Donald Glover as Simba and James Earl Jones in a return to his iconic role of Mufasa.
The adaptation has recently been set with a July 19th, 2019 release date.
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