You have to hand it to these Disney live-action iterations. They really do know how to cast their characters. And for Jon Favreau‘s The Lion King remake, it doesn’t get any better than this one. While nothing is set in stone, reports are saying that Beyonce is the top choice to play Nala.

More on the story below.

Variety was the first to report on the news. According to them, Beyonce is the top choice to voice Nala in the upcoming remake. However, she has not accepted the role, yet. A lot of that has to do with the fact that she is pregnant with twins. And while that may seem like it would prevent her from accepting the role, we have to remember that this would be a voice role, and Favreau will reportedly “do whatever it takes to accommodate her schedule.”

She would be joining Donald Glover, who is voicing Simba, and James Earl Jones, who is voicing (or is it reprising?) his role as Mufasa. Impressed with how well The Jungle Book performed at the box office, how critics responded to it, and winning an Academy Award, it only makes sense that Disney put The Lion King on the fast track to production.

The casting choices are clearly on point. It’s still very early in the production of the film, but Disney says that they will be using the same groundbreaking technology used in The Jungle Book to bring the story of Simba to photorealistic life. And it would almost be a waste to not take advantage of Beyonce’s musical talents. Not that she needs to use them considering her roles in Dreamgirls, The Pink Panther, Obsessed, and much more.

Now it remains to be seen how close Favreau stays to the original. If the film continues to cast these familiar characters we will probably end up seeing roles filled for Scar, Zazu, Timon, and Pumba. Of course, we will keep you up to date as developments continue to come in.

[Source: Variety]