'Jungle Book' Director Jon Favreau Set to Helm Another Live-Action Reimagining: 'The Lion King'
— -- Continuing with what the company hopes will be a successful live-action reimagining of its properties — a la "Maleficent," "Cinderella" and "The Jungle Book" — Disney announced its plans for a new version of its animated classic "The Lion King."
The project has been put in the hands of director Jon Favreau — who called the shots on not only "The Jungle Book," which made more than $960 million worldwide, but also the blockbusters "Iron Man" and "Iron Man 2."
The filmmaker tweeted about it Wednesday morning, saying simply, "Excited about my next project," followed by lion and crown emoji.
There is no release date yet for the live-action version of "The Lion King." Disney's next live-action adaptation, "Beauty and the Beast," starring Emma Watson as Belle, hits theaters March 17, 2017.
Favreau is also working on a sequel to "The Jungle Book."
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