In some news that’s sure to please anybody who’s seen this year’s truly stunning new take on The Jungle Book, Disney has confirmed that Jon Favreau will be directing a live-action version of The Lion King.

When it was revealed that The Jungle Book was to get yet another redo, many just penciled it in as surely one of those pointless rehashings of an old favourite. But boy, how wrong were we! Favreau’s live-action-meets-CGI take on Rudyard Kipling’s beloved story has proven to be one of the most well-received movies of the year to date. As such, Disney has moved to announce the director as the man tasked with overseeing a new version of The Lion King.

The official press release on this news can be found below:

We can officially confirm that The Walt Disney Studios and director Jon Favreau are putting a new reimagining of The Lion King on the fast track to production. The project follows the technologically groundbreaking smash hit The Jungle Book, directed by Favreau, which debuted in April and has earned $965.8 million worldwide.

The Lion King builds on Disney’s success of reimagining its classics for a contemporary audience with films like Maleficent, Cinderella, and The Jungle Book. The upcoming Beauty and the Beast, starring Emma Watson as Belle, is already one of the most anticipated movies of 2017. Like Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King will include songs from the animated film. Disney and Favreau are also in development on a sequel to The Jungle Book. No release date has been announced for either film.

The Lion King (1994) is one of the biggest animated films of all time with a lifetime global box office gross of $968.8 million, including $422.8 million domestically. It won Academy Awards for the original song “Can You Feel the Love Tonight” (Elton John, Tim Rice) and original score (Hans Zimmer), plus two Grammy Awards, with the soundtrack selling over 14 million copies. In 1997, the stage production The Lion King made its Broadway debut, winning six Tony Awards; 19 years later, it 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. The Lion King’s worldwide gross exceeds that of any film, Broadway show or other entertainment title in box office history.

As ever, expect more on this “reimagining” of The Lion King as we get it.