Lion King star has a twisted idea for his next Disney role, and Seth Rogen’s involved

Mufasa: The Lion King has been smashing it at the box office with a nearly $350m haul, but Timon star Billy Eichner has a sinister horror idea for him and Seth Rogen’s next Disney role.

The new movie serves as both a prequel and a sequel to the 2019 live-action remake of the Disney classic, telling the backstory of how Mufasa came to be the king of the Pride Lands while Taka transformed into the villainous Scar.

Running alongside this in the present timeline, we see the latest from Simba, Nala, and their daughter Kiara, as well as the comedy duo Timon and Pumbaa. 

Although Mufasa: The Lion King director Barry Jenkins would only return to this world on one condition, Eichner is keen on a Timon and Pumbaa spinoff – but that’s not all. 

Lion King star pitches dark Tweedledum and Tweedledee Disney movie

Disney

In an exclusive interview with Dexerto, Eichner said he’d be game for a sinister live-action movie based on the Alice in Wonderland characters Tweedledum and Tweedledee.

“ Seth [Rogen] and I have been discussing a Tweedledum and Tweedledee live-action movie, but a very dark one,” the Timon voice actor told us. 

“I want it to be very adult and harrowing. Like The Brutalist or something very intense. Maybe Sean Baker can direct the Tweedledum and Tweedledee live-action movie.”

When we asked which one of the two he and Rogen would take, Eichner quipped, “You’re gonna have to watch and find out.”

It may sound like an outlandish idea, but let it be known that many Disney classics have roots in sinister tales that are far darker than their family-friendly adaptations. 

Perhaps the most well-known example is The Little Mermaid, which is based on the 1837 fairytale by Hans Christian Andersen. 

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In the original story, the titular mermaid’s transformation into a human involves excruciating pain, with the sea witch warning her that she’ll feel like she’s walking on sharp knives. Oh, and she dies at the end.

Then there’s the Brothers Grimm’s OG Snow White tale, where the Evil Queen is forced to dance in red-hot iron shoes until her death. 

Alice in Wonderland is in itself quite a dark movie, and though Tweedledum and Tweedledee are meant to be whimsical characters, their origins in Lewis Carroll’s Through the Looking-Glass have always carried an unsettling edge.

Eichner is also up for a Timon and Pumbaa spinoff

Even if Eichner’s idea doesn’t ever come to fruition, he’s also hoping for a Timon and Pumbaa spinoff with Rogen in the future. 

“ Everyone’s asking about it. Seth and I, we’re ready to go. We need people to make noise about a Timon and Pumbaa movie,” he told us.

“I think it’s very, very important that we all talk about that constantly,” Eichner jokingly added. 

As for where he’d like the film to go, he said, “I think a prequel would be fun, or we could watch them in the future. 

“I think some sort of a road trip movie would be fun, where they go on an adventure, meet new characters, and then maybe touch base with the classic characters. A real fun, colorful comedy.

“ You know, The Lion King is really intense and emotional, and that part is great. And Timon and Pumbaa really are best friends, so we could explore that friendship. But something that’s really funny and fast.”

Mufasa: The Lion King is in cinemas now. You can read about the movie’s James Earl Jones dedication, the underrated Lion King sequel, and everything coming to Disney+ this month.