Can you feel the love tonight? We bet that you can. As far as classic animated Disney movies are concerned, there are few whose soundtracks compare to that of The Lion King. The songs produced by Sir Elton John for the 1994 classic are practically untouchable for many fans, and it sounds like the legendary musician is now gearing up to add to that impressive collection of tracks. That's right, folks; Jon Favreau's The Lion King remake will include new end credits music produced by Sir Elton John himself. In a recent interview, John explained:
They need to have a new end credits song. There's going to be four of our songs in the film, from the original: 'Can You Feel The Love Tonight?' 'Hakuna Matata,' 'I Just Can't Wait To Be King' and 'Circle of Life.' And then there will be an end, closing song, and we've been speaking to Beyonce's people and hopefully Tim [Rice] and I and her can cook up something. That's going out in 2019 as well. And it will be great to work with her. So we will see.
So, if you are a fan of the classic music from The Lion King, it seems that you can look forward to four of the fan-favorite songs coming back. Having said that, Elton John will not be able just to dust off some old recordings, as Jon Favreau and the folks at Disney want him to return to for a brand-new song that will play over the film's credits. Beyond that, the new song will see him team up with Beyonce (who is providing the voice of Nala in the movie) and previous Lion King collaborator, Sir Tim Rice, per what he told The Sun.
The fact that The Lion King remake plans to bring Sir Elton John back into the fold and use many of his classic songs in the story is not necessarily that surprising. Although this is a remake, it seems that The Lion King has already found several ways to pay homage to the classic animated version and share some DNA. One element of this is the inclusion of the classic music and musicians, and another is the casting of James Earl Jones to return to his beloved role as Mufasa.
Despite all of the old and familiar mainstays returning to the fold, there are still plenty of other new elements worth getting excited about as well. In fact, CinemaBlend got a chance to screen some early footage from the film's opening scene at D23 in Anaheim, California last summer, and the sheer amount of nearly photo-realistic detail that has been injected into this story shows how much new material we can look forward to when the film finally debuts. Elsewhere in his interview, Elton John similarly praised the visual style and spectacle in the movie's opening, so it sounds like there's quite a bit for fans to start looking forward to.
Jon Favreau's live-action remake of The Lion King will debut in theaters on July 19, 2019. As for the rest of the films that are going to debut this year (Disney or otherwise), make sure to hop over to CinemaBlend's comprehensive 2018 movie premiere guide and fill out your moviegoing calendars accordingly!
