Queen Bey Meets THE LION KING: Will Beyonce Play 'Nala' in Jon Favreau's Big Screen Remake?

ComingSoon.net has reported that Jon Favreau's live action remake of The Lion King may acquire a queen as its female lead as Beyonce Knowles is reportedly the front runner for the role of 'Nala', the story's leading lioness.

Though she hasn't yet accepted the role, the report claims that the pop icon is Favreau's first choice for the role.

Knowles would join James Earl Jones and "Atlanta" star, Donald Glover, who have been announced as Mufasa and Simba, respectively.

Favreau will direct the film, currently being fast-tracked to the screen. It will feature a screenplay by Jeff Nathanson.

The project joins Disney's other recent reimaginings of its classic animated films, including Maleficent, Cinderella, and The Jungle Book. The highly anticipated BEAUTY AND THE BEAST movie, starring Emma Watson as Belle, will premiere in 2017. According to the site, the Lion King reboot will include songs from the animated film. No release date has been announced.

Released in theaters in 1994, THE LION KING was a global box office smash, grossing $968.8 million, including $422.8 million domestically. It received Academy Awards for the original song "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" (Elton John, Tim Rice) and original score (Hans Zimmer), as well as two Grammy Awards, with the soundtrack selling over 14 million copies.

In 1997, the stage production THE LION KING debuted on Broadway, earning six Tony Awards. The production continues to run and remains one of Broadway's biggest hits alongside several other productions running around the world, including London, Hamburg, Tokyo, Madrid, Mexico City, Shanghai, and North America. Translated into eight different languages, its 23 global productions have been seen by more than 85 million people across every continent except Antarctica.