Disney Sets 'The Lion King' Spinoff Movie, Series

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Disney Channel will look to build on The Lion King franchise with the November debut of a new original movie The Lion Guard: Return of the Roar, network executives said Wednesday.

The movie, a precursor to The Lion Guard television series premiering in 2016, follows Kion, the second-born cub of Simba and Nala as he assumes the role of leader of the Lion Guard, a team of animals tasked with preserving the Pride Lands, said the network.

James Earl Jones and Ernie Sabella will reprise their roles from The Lion King as Mufasa and Pumbaa, respectively. Rob Lowe will serve as the voice of Simba, with Gabrielle Union as Nala and Max Charles as Kion.

Ford Riley (Special Agent Oso) will serve as executive producer, with Howy Parkins (Jake and the Never Land Pirates) as the film’s director. 

R. Thomas Umstead
R. Thomas Umstead

R. Thomas Umstead serves as senior content producer, programming for Multichannel News, Broadcasting + Cable and Next TV. During his more than 30-year career as a print and online journalist, Umstead has written articles on a variety of subjects ranging from TV technology, marketing and sports production to content distribution and development. He has provided expert commentary on television issues and trends for such TV, print, radio and streaming outlets as Fox News, CNBC, the Today show, USA Today, The New York Times and National Public Radio. Umstead has also filmed, produced and edited more than 100 original video interviews, profiles and news reports featuring key cable television executives as well as entertainers and celebrity personalities.