The upcoming reboot of the beloved Disney film will closely follow the plot of the original 1994 movie, with young lion Simba forced to flee after his father Mufasa is murdered by Simba’s evil uncle Scar.
However. there will be a key twist to the plot to bring the film up to date with the modern world.
Speaking exclusively to PinkNews, a source close to the production revealed that Simba will be gay in the upcoming remake.
According to the source, Simba realises that he is gay during his teenage years after chancing upon same-sex couple Timon and Pumbaa in the wilderness.
In order to accommodate the new plot, Simba’s childhood friend and eventual girlfriend Nala has been replaced with the male lion Naji.
Our source wouldn’t give too much away, but hinted at a happy-ever-after ending for Simba and Naji after they return to the aptly-named Pride Rock.
A Disney spokesperson confirmed the LGBT storyline will be central to the film.
They said: “After the massive commercial success of Beauty and the Beast, we want to make a clear commitment to diversity and LGBT equality in all of our future films.
“We think audiences around the world will fall in love with our retelling of Simba’s story.”
A top name director has been tapped by Disney for the remake, which is being filmed in Africa using a combination of real lions and CGI.
The film will include revamped and re-gendered versions of tracks from Sir Elton John’s original Oscar-winning soundtrack including ‘Can You Feel the Love Tonight’. The musician is also believed to also be penning a number of new songs for the production.
Campaigners have long called for LGBT characters to be reflected in more blockbuster films.
However, the plot is likely to stir extreme criticism from the anti-LGBT lobby.
Contacted for comment, a spokeswoman for One Million Moms told PinkNews the group would protest the release of the “ungodly” film, adding: “This is just a sick attempt by Disney to indoctrinate our children. Everyone knows that there’s no such thing as gay lions.”