Last Week Tonight With John Oliver (Photo: HBO)

The man who once described himself as looking like a “near-sighted parrot who works in a bank” has just landed a plume role in Jon Favreau’s live-action Lion King movie. According to The Hollywood Reporter, John Oliver has joined the voice cast of the remake as Zazu, the red-billed hornbill whose notable achievements include advising two kings and having a lovely bunch of coconuts. The Last Week Tonight host has done voice work on The Simpsons, Gravity Falls, Bob’s Burgers, and Rick And Morty, and should be able to summon the proper amount of umbrage for the part.


Rowan Atkinson voiced the fussy fowl in the 1994 film, alongside Jeremy Irons (as Scar) and James Earl Jones as the goodhearted Mufasa. Jones is reprising the role for this live-action remake, which stars (the voice of) Donald Glover as Simba. Meanwhile, Seth Rogen and Billy Eichner have taken over for Nathan Lane and Ernie Sabella as the exiled cub’s friends, Timon and Pumbaa.

Favreau’s directing from a script by Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales’ Nathan Williamson. The Lion King takes the throne July 19, 2019.