Seth Rogen and Billy Eichner are reportedly in talks to join the cast of the film, playing one of the original 1994 movie’s most memorable duos, Pumbaa and Timon. Eichner is expected to take on the role of the meerkat Timon, while Rogen will voice the warthog Pumbaa.
The Wrap reports that the pair are in final negotiations for the project. If the report proves true, Rogen and Eichner will be added to a cast that already includes Donald Glover as Simba and James Earl Jones as Mufasa (reprising his role from the original animated feature). Beyonce Knowles is rumored to be the leading contender to voice Nala, but nothing is official regarding her involvement with the film at this point.
The roles of Timon and Pumbaa were originated by Nathan Lane and Ernie Sabella in the original animated movie and both actors reprised the roles for a brief period when the film spawned an animated series in the 1990s. The characters famously provided comic relief to the events chronicled in The Lion King and were based on the Rosencrantz and Guildenstern roles from William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, which served as the primary inspiration for Disney’s animated feature.
Both Eichner and Rogen are no strangers to voicing animated characters, with Eichner playing a recurring role on the popular Fox series Bob’s Burgers, and Rogen voicing animated characters in both the recent, ‘R’-rated feature Sausage Party and the more family-friendly Kung Fu Panda franchise.
Disney’s live-action remake of The Lion King follows well-received remakes of both Beauty and the Beast and The Jungle Book — with the latter also directed by Favreau. The film is currently scheduled to hit theaters July 19, 2019.
