The Lion King live-action remake adds comedian Amy Sedaris as voice of new original character

Actor-comedian Amy Sedaris has joined the voice cast of Disney’s live-action remake of The Lion King . [caption id=“attachment_5626551” align=“alignnone” width=“825”] Amy Sedaris. Image from twitter @DiscussingFilm[/caption] Directed by Jon Favreau, the film’s voice cast includes Donald Glover as Simba; Beyonce Knowles-Carter as Nala and Chiwetel Ejiofor as Scar. Sedaris, 57, will be voicing an elephant shrew, a small rodent known for its long nose and for being a speedy runner, reported Variety. English actor John Oliver will voice Zazu, the bird who acts as the king’s adviser, while Billy Eichner and Seth Rogan take on the comedy duo of meerkat Timon and warthog Pumbaa. James Earl Jones, who voiced Mufasa in the 1994 original, reprised the character in Favreau’s film. The 1994 animated film won an Academy award and Golden Globe for the best original soundtrack. The remake follows the storyline of the original, where a young lion named Simba grows up in the African wilderness after his uncle Scar plots to usurp his father Mufasa’s place as king. It was reported earlier this year that four songs - ‘Can You Feel the Love Tonight’, ‘Hakuna Matata’, ‘I Just Can’t Wait to Be King’ and ‘Circle of Life’ – will all feature in the new version. The film is scheduled to come out on July 19, 2019. (With inputs from Press Trust of India)