With Disney making profit from their live-action adaptations of films like Maleficent (2014), Cinderella (2015) and last year’s The Jungle Book, the studio is now looking to build on that success with their remake of the much-loved animated classic The Lion King (1994).

Jon Favreau, who received praise for his work on The Jungle Book, is helming the live-action version of the Oscar-winning animation and has finally announced two key castings that will undoubtedly get audiences excited.

Firstly, the director has confirmed on Twitter that Golden Globe-winning actor Donald Glover (Community, Atlanta) would be voicing the role of (adult) Simba, the leading character who becomes the true heir of Pride Rock.

I just can’t wait to be king. #Simba pic.twitter.com/wUYKixMBJI

— Jon Favreau (@Jon_Favreau) February 18, 2017

Nostalgic fans of the original will also be pleased to know that renowned character actor James Earl Jones (Star Wars Saga) will be reprising his iconic role as Mufasa, Simba’s ill-fated father whose words of wisdom inspire his son to take responsibility in his journey from cub to ‘lion king’.

The vocal roles of other popular characters like Scar, Rafiki, Nala, etc have not yet been confirmed, though the castings will hopefully be announced very soon.

A release date for the film is not known either, though it looks likely to be somewhere around 2018 or 2019.

In the meantime, Disney fans can look forward to the upcoming release of the Beauty and the Beast remake, which hits cinemas on March 17th.