With production on Jon Favreau’s live-action take on The Lion King currently underway, it looks as if the redo is close to landing its Scar.

As per The Hollywood Reporter, Chiwetel Ejiofor is currently in talks to voice the ‘big bad’ of the movie – a role played by Jeremy Irons in the original 1994 animated effort. Ejiofor is no stranger to genre fans, with him having played Mordo opposite Benedict Cumberbatch’s Sorcerer Supreme in last year’s Doctor Strange. In addition to that, Ejiofor also wowed many as he received an Oscar nomination for his turn in 12 Years a Slave. Scar, of course, is the nefarious villain who betrays his brother Mufasa so that he can become the king of the animal kingdom himself.

Already on board for this new take on The Lion King are Donald Glover as Simba, James Earl Jones as Mufasa, and roles for the likes of Seth Rogen, John Oliver, and Billy Eichner.

At present, The Lion King is booked in for a July 19th, 2019 release.