As Scar himself might say, “Be prepared!” Simba’s evil uncle has yet to be cast in the upcoming live-action reboot of The Lion King, but word on the street says Chiwetel Ejiofor might be about to sign on the dotted line.
OK, so when we say “street,” we actually mean The Hollywood Reporter, but you get what we mean. According to THR, Chiwetel is currently in talks to voice the treacherous lion who betrays his brother Mufasa.
You know. This guy:
Mufasa will be voiced once again by the unmistakeable tones of James Earl Jones, while Zazu, the red-beaked hornbill bird also in the above clip, will be played by the somewhat beaky John Oliver.
As well as Chiwetel, James and John, Atlanta‘s Donald Glover has been announced as the voice of Simba, with Seth Rogan and Billy Eichner as Pumbaa and Timon.
And if Chiwetel is confirmed as Scar, then that leaves just one major role uncast: Simba’s childhood friend Nala. Director Jon Favreau has reportedly made no secret of who he’d like to play the role, telling sources he’d do “whatever it takes” to accommodate the schedule of one Beyoncé Knowles-Carter.
While we wait for that news to be confirmed, however, we can let the idea of Chiwetel as Scar sink in. Chiwetel has played Dr. Vincent Kapoor in The Martian, and has been nominated for an Oscar for his performance as author Solomon Northup in 12 Years a Slave in the past, of course, but perhaps it’s his role as Karl Mordo in Doctor Strange, or The Operative in Serenity, that gives us a glimpse of Chiwetel as a supervillain.
Do you think Chiwetel can out-evil Jeremy Irons?
