Jon Favreau’s Lion King remake adds John Oliver as the voice of Zazu
By Buckie Wells
As the incredible cast for this film grows, political news host John Oliver is the next talented star bringing his wit and accent to The Lion King.
If Beauty and the Beast can make more than a billion dollars world at the box office, of course Disney’s going to to go full throttle on remaking beloved Disney classics into live-action. Even Cinderella — which is definitely a classic, but arguably not as outright beloved as an animated film from the Disney renaissance — made a really respectable $543.5 million worldwide against a $95 million budget. Alice in Wonderland earned over a billion, too. But after its sequel crashed and burned so recklessly, it’s hard to say who’s responsible for what.
Luckily, The Lion King remake appears to be in really safe hands. Still reaping the benefits of The Jungle Book‘s success, Jon Favreau wants to assemble as much talent as he can to tackle what could be one of Disney’s most ambitious live-action projects yet.
At the forefront of the project, he already brought James Earl Jones and Donald Glover into the mix. He hasn’t exactly snagged Beyoncé yet, but the role hasn’t been cast at all yet, so there’s still time. As he continues to round out the cast, another big name has boarded the project: John Oliver.
Known primarily for his HBO satirical-ish news show, Last Week Tonight, Disney announced the host will take up the role of Zazu, Mufasa’s right-hand (right-wing? Left-leaning right wing? Mmm) bird and adviser. Originally voiced by Rowan Atkinson, Zazu’s role in the film is small yet pivotal. After all, it’s his hovering attitude that launched “I Just Can’t Wait to be King.” And if you watched the extended version of the film, Zazu sings a song of his own in “Morning Report.”
Obviously, we mostly know him for his sass as the Alfred to Mufasa and Simba’s Batman. But with John Oliver’s take on the role, he may become even more iconic.
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The Lion King hits theaters on July 19, 2019.