Beyonce Officially Joins The Lion King Live-Action Cast

And Timon and Pumba have also officially been cast.

By Jonathon Dornbush

Disney has announced a host of actors officially joining the live-action The Lion King's cast following previous reports of their involvement.

Beyonce has officially boarded the project as the voice of Nala, after reports back in March named the performer as the top choice for the role.

The Lion King's full cast

And after previous reports, Disney has confirmed Billy Eichner will voice Timon and Seth Rogen will take on the role of Pumba. Chiwetel Ejiofor is confirmed to play Scar, while Alfre Woodard is Simba's mother Sarabi.

Rounding out the cast is JD McCrary as Young Simba, Shahadi Wright Joseph as Young Nala, John Kani as Rafiki, and John Oliver as Zazu. The hyenas will be played by Florence Kasumba (Shenzi), Eric Andre (Azizi), and Keegan-Michael Key (Kamari).

Disney screened the first footage from the film, which is set for a July 19, 2019 release, at D23 Expo earlier this year.

Jon Favreau, who already tackled Disney's live-action The Jungle Book to massive box office success, is directing the film. Donald Glover will be voicing Simba, while James Earl Jones returns to play Mufasa.

“It is a director's dream to assemble a talented team like this to bring this classic story to life,” Favreau said about the cast.

Jonathon Dornbush is an Associate Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter @jmdornbush.

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