‘Lion King’ Adds Amy Sedaris in Original Voice Role (EXCLUSIVE)

By Matt Donnelly

LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – Comedian Amy Sedaris has joined the cast of Disney’s live-action “The Lion King” remake, numerous individuals close to the project tell Variety. She will voice an animal brand new to the kingdom that was established in the 1994 animated classic.

Under the purview of director Jon Favreau, Sedaris will play an elephant shrew — so named for long noses that resemble elephant trunks, the tiny mammal is native to Africa and known for its top speed.

The actress joins an impressive ensemble that includes Donald Glover, Beyonce, James Earl Jones, Seth Rogen, Billy Eichner, and Alfre Woodard. The film’s first teaser trailer dropped on Thanksgiving Day to great fanfare, generating 224.6 million global views, making it the second most-viewed trailer in history within 24 hours (Disney also owns the No. 1 title, “Avengers: Infinity War”).

Favreau and Sedaris previously worked together on his 2014 food-truck drama “Chef.” She is no stranger to animated voice work, having appeared in all five seasons of Netflix’s “BoJack Horseman” and the acclaimed 2016 indie “My Life as a Zucchini.” She was also a regular on Tina Fey and Robert Carlock’s Netflix comedy “The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt.”

She currently stars on the TruTV series “At Home With ,” a sketch series for which she serves as co-creator, executive producer, and star.

Sedaris is repped by UTA and Schreck Rose Dapello Adams Berlin & Dunham.