The latest teaser for the upcoming photorealistic remake of The Lion King doesn’t reveal much about the changes to the timeless story, but it does showcase Beyoncé’s Nala speaking for two seconds at the very beginning. Finally — the lions talk!
Posted by the multi-hyphenate herself, the teaser shows the world of The Lion King in all its CG glory, with an almost shot-by-shot recreation of the original animated film. We haven’t actually seen Simba (played by Donald Glover) speak, but we have seen a brief shot of Pumbaa and Timon (Seth Rogen and Billy Eichner, you guess which is which) singing in a previous trailer. In this teaser, they also talk a bit more. Look at those warthog lips!
It’s not just Beyoncé’s speech that will be in the upcoming Lion King; she worked with Elton John to retool the soundtrack. The two wrote a new song for the adaptation along with Tim Rice.
In addition to Beyoncé, Glover, Rogen, and Eichner, The Lion King stars Chiwetel Ejiofor as Scar, John Oliver as Zazu, and Alfre Woodard as Sarabi. James Earl Jones returns to the role of Mufasa. The Lion King comes out on July 19, just in time for the original’s 25th anniversary.
