Disney's The Lion King Remake: Casting All 10 Major Roles

10. Rafiki (Morgan Freeman)

Oscar-winner Morgan Freeman has starred in well over 100 movies, and over the course of his lengthy career, he's dabbled in everything from action to comedy to animation to sci-fi, even playing God in two different movies just for good measure.

So why can't he voice an overly-eccentric, clairvoyant baboon?

Freeman's shown incredible range across his broad catalogue of movies, and at this point, casting him in any part is all-but guaranteed to be the right move. It's not just his career that makes him a good fit here, though; he's got that wise, ethereal quality to his voice that Rafiki desperately needs, since his main job in the movie is to convince Simba that his true destiny lies back at home atop Pride Rock.

And who better to play an astute, insightful uncle-type figure?

Chances Of It Happening

As you'd expect, Freeman's pretty busy - he's got a handful of films in pre-production as we speak. The Lion King remake is being 'fast-tracked' too, so it could clash with his other movies, but given that Rafiki isn't a huge part with only a few lines of dialogue, Favreau's undoubtedly got one eye on the actor's schedule.