While Jon Favreau's upcoming remake of The Lion King aims to show the iconic Disney story in a new light, there will be one prominent commonality between it and its predecessor: James Earl Jones.

When casting the film, the team was adamant on pursuing Jones to reprise his role as Pride Rock patriarch Mufasa. Luckily, the 88-year old legend pounced on the opportunity, which made Favreau count his blessings as he got to watch Mufasa come alive once more.

RELATED: Disney Confirms Lion King Isn't a Shot-by-Shot Remake

"He could have just as easily said no," he told Entertainment Weekly. "His voice could have sounded different. There’s a lot of ways this could not have worked out. And that all of the stars aligned and there I was listening to him record. I felt something very powerful happening."

This new Lion King will take scenes and moments from the classic film and put them under a new lens. Disney will utilize a completely new form of filmmaking that will combine both live action and animation. It builds on Favreau's previous work in The Jungle Book back in 2016, which used technology to bring these classic tales into a new dimension. Despite the new look and script from Jeff Nathanson, though, Mufasa's lines and scenes will remain almost entirely intact for the remake.

RELATED: Lion King: Simba Lounges With Timon & Pumbaa, Scar Plots in New Photos

"He’s a character that’s only in the film — spoiler alert — for part of it, and James Earl Jones really lands you into the movie and then sets you on your journey, as with Simba, where Simba has to break away and go off on his own," Favreau explained. "So many of his lines have not actually changed that much, because that’s the one role where it really didn’t feel dated at all. All of the speeches Mufasa makes during the film are timeless and apply to each age, whereas with the humor, the music, some of those other aspects, there were opportunities to update. But with him, that role stayed as close to the original as any."

Opening July 19, director Jon Favreau's The Lion King stars Donald Glover, Seth Rogen, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Alfre Woodard, Billy Eichner, John Kani, John Oliver, Florence Kasumba, Eric André, Keegan-Michael Key, JD McCrary, Shahadi Wright Joseph, with Beyoncé Knowles-Carter and James Earl Jones.