The original Lion King soundtrack by Elton John was a bonafide ’90s classic. However, one thing it didn’t have (because it came out in 1994, three years before Destiny’s Child was unleashed on the world) was Beyonce.
That problem was fixed for the upcoming 2019 remake when Disney cast Beyonce as the voice of adult Nala. The new film’s soundtrack would just be incomplete if all Queen Bey got to do was sing 24-year-old covers, so naturally, she’s in the studio with Elton John, the first film’s songwriter, to create an original track exclusively for the live-action remake according to The Sun UK.
The new song will reportedly act as the film’s closer, which will probably make it a big ballad because Disney movies and big closing ballads are like ham and cheese or lox and bagels. Elton John told The Sun, “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 and I and her can cook up something.”
Elton John recently celebrated the 20th anniversary of the stage adaptation of the film at The Minskoff Theatre in New York, performing his hits from the film and play with a gospel choir. The songs hold up after all this time, which is probably why Disney can get away with this live-action remake in the first place, but it’s nice that the new film will also include new music to keep it fresh.
The film is set for a 2019 release and has a cast including Donald Glover, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Alfre Woodard, John Oliver, Seth Rogen, and the original Mufasa, James Earl Jones, as well as the aforementioned Beyonce. Now, if only we can get those Migos hyenas.
