We thought Hugh Jackman nabbed the role of the villainous Scar in the remake of the Lion King but now sources are saying there’s a new king in town.
The search for Scar for the live-action Lion King rages on. Sources at the D23 expo had said that Scar would be played by Hugh Jackman but now there are reports that Chiwetel Ejiofor is up for the role. Which is fine.
Chiwetel is an incredible actor and someone we can really appreciate on screen. If you haven’t seen his work in Z for Zachariah, I cannot encourage you enough. He’s incredible in it. But here’s the thing that I love about what the Broadway show did and what I thought the movie was doing: Casting a white man as Scar unintentionally makes the villain even worse.
Now granted, Jackman is a sweet man and we all know that. But so is Jeremy Irons (the original voice for Scar). But to me, there is just something ominous about a white man being the villain and then being killed by Simba at the end. (Albeit unintentionally but still, our Simba came back to Pride Rock to save the day.)
Does he need to be a white man?
The idea that Scar is a white man goes further than just a white guy taking another role. Let’s look at Scar for a second. He’s a power-hungry lion who brutally murders his own brother in order for him to become king. He’s ruthless and he takes what he wants.
All these qualities are represented in our history. Just look at what happened when white men came to America. Many of them took what they wanted and didn’t care who was hurt in the process. Something about casting a white man for the role would tap that deep history of greedy white men acting, well, villainous.
This is also me thinking a bit too deeply about the casting of Scar, but I think it has the potential to have a very powerful message.
So yes, I’d be very happy with Chiwetel as Scar because the most important thing, for me, is Scar’s voice and Chiwetel has a pretty amazing one. (Scar’s voice was my favorite thing as a kid. It is just those Jeremy Irons pipes.)
I just think that it’d be interesting to keep Hugh Jackman as the predicted Scar, the evil villain who gets his due. But either way, I’m happy with either of these men taking on the role. Again, the important part of Scar? That sweet, sweet voice. “Be Prepared” better be the best song to ever come out of a Disney live-action movie!
Next: The Lion King Remake Casts Donald Glover and James Earl Jones
Check back here on Culturess for more news on the live-action Lion King. We’re going to be up to date on all things Disney because who doesn’t love Pride Rock?