Superstar Shah Rukh Khan and his son Aryan will be lending their voice for King Mufasa and his son Simba respectively in the Hindi version of Disney’s upcoming live-action film The Lion King.
“The Lion King is that one movie that my entire family loves the most and it holds a very special place in our hearts. As a father, I can totally relate with Mufasa and the endearing relationship he shares with his son – Simba,” Khan said in a statement.
On Sunday, gearing up for the India-Pakistan World Cup match, the actor tweeted a picture of him and Aryan wearing T-shirts in team India colours as Mufasa and Simba rising speculations about his involvement in the upcoming movie.
Disney India head – studio entertainment Bikram Duggal said, “The Lion King is a classic that epitomises Disney’s prowess of bringing heart-warming stories that are timeless and transcend generations. Now with the re-imagined version, our aim is to reach out to a wider audience; introducing the tale about a pride of lions to a whole new generation of audiences while forging a deeper connect with existing fans.”
“We cannot imagine having a better voice cast than Shah Rukh Khan and his son Aryan to bring the characters of Mufasa and Simba to life in Hindi,” Duggal added.
The Lion King may debut in China on 12 July, a week before it opens in the U.S.. Recently, the local government in China also gave an early 24 April release date to Disney/Marvel’s Avengers: Endgame (two days before domestic), while Sony’s Spider-Man: Far From Home got a 28 June opening day, ahead of its 2 July U.S. opening.
Directed by Jon Favreau (Iron Man and The Jungle Book), The Lion King is scheduled to be released on 19 July in English, Hindi, Tamil and Telugu.