Disney announce The Lion King remake

We're intrigued.

Walt Disney Studios have confirmed a remake of  The Lion King. There has been a huge number of Disney classics remade recently including Cinderella, The Jungle Book and Maleficent as well as the upcoming  Little Mermaid and the highly anticipated Beauty and the Beast. But The Lion King is arguably one of Disney's best films so we're intrigued about this news. Disney have described it as a 'reimagining' and it will be directed by Jon Favreau who recently directed The Jungle book. The released a press release announcing the news.

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. 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 original animated Lion King film came out in 1994 to huge success making over $987 million in worldwide box office. There has been little else released about the remake and although they have not specified whether it will include live-action aspects, it is likely given their current trend.