Jon Favreau is on a roll. The director–known for his work on films like Zathura, Elf, and Iron Man–is currently promoting his mega-anticipated Disney blockbuster The Lion King, a CGI remake of the animated classic. He’s also fresh off the success of his previous Disney adaptation, The Jungle Book, and is about to debut the mysterious Disney+ Star Wars live-action series The Mandalorian, which he’s executive producing. Talk about a loaded schedule! Lucky for us, he found time to sit down with Nerdist and discuss his upcoming projects and how they inspired one another.
In this episode of Nerdist New Edition, Favreau spoke with Nerdist‘s own Danielle Radford about the The Lion King, The Mandalorian, and more.
Interestingly, even though The Mandalorian is science fiction, is Star Wars, it uses a lot of the same technology. In the case of The Lion King, we’re using game engine technology to create a virtual reality environment with which to shoot live-action techniques. In the case of The Mandalorian, we’re using game engine technology to do in-camera visual effects. So everything you learn on one of these, it gives you ideas for how to handle the challenges associated with other projects.
Danielle also spoke with other folks involved with The Lion King, including voice actors Bill Eichner and Seth Rogen, who play Timon and Pumba in the film, along with Alfre Woodward–who plays Simba’s mother, Sarabi–and Chiwetel Ejiofor, who voices the villainous Scar. Where were they when they watched the classic, and what are they bringing to the table this time? Check out the full episode of Nerdist News Edition above to learn more about the film and their involvement.
Jon Favreau’s The Lion King is currently playing in theaters nationwide.
Images: Disney
