June 16 was a big day for Indian cricket fans as India faced Pakistan in a match in the ICC Cricket World Cup. It also turned out to be a big day for Shah Rukh Khan fans as the superstar posted an image of himself and his son, Aryan Khan sporting Indian team jerseys with the names Mufasa and Simba printed on their backs. Hours later, Walt Disney Studios took to Twitter to announce that Khan (often referred to as King Khan by his fans) will be dubbing for Mufasa in the Hindi version of the new live-action The Lion King, releasing on July 19. 21-year-old Aryan Khan will be dubbing for Simba.
For Khan, known for his immense love for his children and family and his son Aryan, this is not the first collaboration. For the Hindi version of The Incredibles (2014), he voiced Mr Incredible while his son was the voice behind Dash. Aryan Khan also played the toddler Rahul (Shah Rukh Khan’s character) in Karan Johar’s 2001 magnum opus Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham.
“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,” the superstar said in a statement. He also added that it’s extra poignant and special that he gets to team up with his own son to recreate an iconic father-son relationship. “We are most excited that AbRam (Khan’s youngest son) is going to watch this,” he added.
Disney India’s head of Studio Entertainment, Bikram Duggal, said, “With the re-imagined version (of The Lion King), 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.”
Jon Favreau, who has previously produced The Jungle Book and served as the executive producer for Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, is producing the new live-action The Lion King. The original animated film is among Disney’s most popular productions and has been made into Broadway’s third longest-running musical.
James Earl Jones, most famous for his role as Darth Vader, is voicing Mufasa in the English version of the new live-action film. No stranger to voicing the king of Pride Rock, Jones has been the voice of Mufasa earlier in The Lion Guard: Return of the Roar (2015). Donald Glover AKA Childish Gambino is the voice of Simba. Jones and Glover are part of a star-studded cast that includes names like Beyoncé, Seth Rogen, Chiwetel Ejiofor, and John Oliver, among others.
The film will be released in Hindi and other Indian regional languages like Tamil and Telugu.
