Odds & Ends: Watch The Lion King's Simba Visit Real Lions at the Bronx Zoo, October Sky Musical to Receive Lab Production & More

Here's a quick roundup of stories you may have missed today.

Watch The Lion King's Simba Visit Real Lions at the Bronx Zoo
Disney's hit musical The Lion King is getting super meta! The long-running show's charming Simba, Jelani Remy, dug a bit deeper into his character work with a recent visit to The Bronx Zoo. Remy spoke with zoo curator Pat Thomas about lions' real habitats and just how similar their behavior is to the one Remy plays onstage eight times a week! "After seeing these guys, my roar is going to be just as ferocious, if not more," said Remy. Give a watch to the adorable video below and make your way to the Minskoff Theatre to see Remy and his talented co-stars live.



The National Theatre & Bristol Old Vic's Acclaimed Jane Eyre to Return
Sally Cookson’s adaptation of Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre will return to the National’s Lyttelton Theatre for a run from September 26 through October 21! The new engagement follows a major UK tour of the production. The classic work that tells the story of one woman’s fight for freedom and fulfillment will star Nadia Clifford in the title role alongside Tim Delap as Rochester with a full company including Hannah Bristow, Matthew Churcher, Alex Heane, Melanie Marshall, Paul Mundell, David Ridley, Evelyn Miller, Ben Cutler, Jenny Johns, Dami Olukoya, Francesca Tomlinson and Phoebe Vigor.

New Musical October Sky Set for Developmental Lab
A new musical based on the 1999 film October Sky will receive a developmental lab from October 23-November 10 in NYC! The musical follows the real story of Homer Hickam, a coal miner's son inspired to take up rocketry. It features a book by Brian Hill and Aaron Thielen and a score by Michael Mahler. Rachel Rockwell, who helmed the dark musical comedy Ride the Cyclone off-Broadway in 2016, is onboard to direct. October Sky was first seen at The Marriott Theatre in Chicago and The Old Globe in San Diego. The movie October Sky starred Broadway veterans Jake Gyllenhaal as Homer and Chris Cooper as his dad. Casting for the musical's lab is in the works. Look back at Gyllenhaal and Cooper in the movie's original trailer and keep fingers crossed that the musical version takes Broadway!



Matthew Morrison Lands Role in Chinese Feature Crazy Alien
Tony nominee and Glee alum Matthew Morrison will star in the new film Crazy Alien, according to Deadline. The third installment in the trilogy of black comedies that kicked off with Crazy Stone and followed with Crazy Racer doesn't have plot or character details in place yet, but we do know that Morrison is set to record his role in English, and he'll be subtitled in Chinese. It looks like Morrison's Glee cred gave him an upper hand in booking this particular gig. “We are expanding the potential audience for Chinese films," said director Ning Hao. "This time, we are collaborating with extraordinary Hollywood actors. I believe that all these amazing talents will inspire each other to put on a great performance.” Crazy Alien will be released in Chinese cinemas on February 5, 2019.

P.S. We're geeking out over this gorgeous pic of Keala Settle and Zac Efron from the set of The Greatest Showman!

❤️u @kealasettle #ThisisMe#GreatestShowman #tbt pic.twitter.com/smjhHP8rDP

— Zac Efron (@ZacEfron) August 10, 2017