I'm Very Conflicted About Jon Favreau Making A New, LIVE ACTION Remake of The Lion King

LAT - It’s the circle of life in Hollywood: “The Lion King” is being remade, and Jon Favreau’s in charge.

The Oscar-winning 1994 animated film, which raked in $968.8 million worldwide, including $422.8 million domestically, is being fast-tracked for a “reimagining,” the Walt Disney Studios announced Wednesday, with an eye toward using the same high-end CG technology Favreau employed for his version of “The Jungle Book” — which grossed $965.8 million worldwide earlier this year.

No release date has been set for the new “Lion King,” which will — like Disney’s upcoming remake of “Beauty and the Beast,” starring Emma Watson — include songs from the original movie.

I’m very conflicted about this. Very conflicted. On one hand, Jon Favreau is a hell of a director. From Swingers to Elf to Iron Man to the live action Jungle Book that I heard was very good, to producing Avengers, everything he touches turns to gold. I have full faith in everything Favreau does.

On the other hand, Lion King is an all time, all timeeeeee classic. A top 10 feature film of the last 50 years. I’m not suggesting that it’s like remaking the Godfather, but it’s like remaking the Godfather. Some things you just don’t touch, they are perfect the way they are. Lion King is a perfect movie- you laugh, you cry, you cheer, the lions fuck, it has it all.

Lion Kings is one of those rare movies that is perfect on it’s own. The new hotness in Hollywood is to remake movies, and with the Jungle Book success and the upcoming Beauty and the Beast live action, the new new hotness is to remake classics. I think it will be great, but if it’s somehow awful, Favreau is kicked out of Hollywood forever.

PS: Time for Johnathon Taylor Thomas to make his comeback. Dude hasn’t been seen since Home Improvement went off the air, if he comes out of the clouds and stars in Lion King, this will be the greatest movie of all time.