In the jungle, the mighty jungle, the Bush Baby sleeps tonight? Apparently so, because according to Chance the Rapper, he will be playing the small creature in the new film due out next week.
Not that anyone needed another reason to be excited for the new live-action version of The Lion King but according to the musician, his longtime friend Donald Glover wanted him to jump aboard the Disney project.
Here are all the juicy details about how Chance the Rapper became involved in The Lion King and who he will be playing.
Chance the Rapper in The Lion King remake?
Like most people who grew up with The Lion King, Chance the Rapper says the original Disney film was a heavy influence on his childhood. In fact, the artist explains that it became everything about him saying:
” I grew up my whole life obsessed with all things related to #TheLionKing; like all three films, the Timon and Pumbaa tv show, the broadway play and especially the broadway soundtrack.”
Apparently, his fascination with The Lion King was so strong that it even struck a chord with Simba himself, Donald Glover. Because after being hired for the central role, Chance the Rapper says Donald Glover thought of him as being crucial to the development of the remake.
“So when my big bro Donald got casted as Simba, he did the coolest thing ever and told director Jon Favreau to call me in as a consultant to keep the original flavor. So for about a year I would go to the LK studio and see early animations, scenes, music direction or assemblies and they’d always be out of this world amazing.”
Anyone who follows these two great musical artists should not be surprised by this news. The two have known each other for a long time and have collaborated on music in the past. An example is a song titled The Worst Guys from back in 2014, which can be heard below.
As seen in the Instagram post below, Chance the Rapper will be playing a character called Bush Baby. This can be seen in the photo of the after credits, where he goes by his original name Chance Bennett.
Chance the Rapper is a tremendous talent and if he truly loved The Lion King just as much as we did growing up, then what a solid choice to make him a creative force behind the film.
The Lion King will hit theaters everywhere on July 18, 2009.