New 'Lion King' Stories Coming to Disney Channel

A new chapter of the Lion King saga is coming to Disney Channel.

A primetime TV movie, The Lion Guard: Return of the Roar, featuring Kion, the second-born cub of Simba and Nala, stars of the blockbuster animated film, will air in November. It will be followed by a TV series, The Lion Guard, which will premiere in early 2016 on Disney Channels and Disney Jr. channels worldwide.

James Earl Jones and Ernie Sabella reprise their Lion King roles as Mufasa and Pumbaa. Rob Lowe provides the voice of Simba and Gabrielle Union is Nala. Max Charles is Kion.

Education and science experts at Disney's Animal Kingdom theme park serve as consultants, advising on the characteristics, behaviors and habitats of the African animal species featured and inspiring original stories based on their first hand experiences.

The Lion Guard: Return of the Roar will be presented at Disney's D23 Expo in Anaheim, Calif., on Aug. 16.

Jon Lafayette

Jon has been business editor of Broadcasting+Cable since 2010. He focuses on revenue-generating activities, including advertising and distribution, as well as executive intrigue and merger and acquisition activity. Just about any story is fair game, if a dollar sign can make its way into the article. Before B+C, Jon covered the industry for TVWeek, Cable World, Electronic Media, Advertising Age and The New York Post. A native New Yorker, Jon is hiding in plain sight in the suburbs of Chicago.