Jon Favreau on The Lion King, Beyoncé & New Star Wars Series

YOU MUST BE HAPPY TODAY, RIGHT? IT WAS A FUN NIGHT. Jimmy: THE PREMIERE WAS ON TUESDAY NIGHT. RIGHT. Jimmy: BOY, YOU'VE BEEN WORKING ON THIS FOR A LONG TIME. FOR LIKE THREE YEARS, YES. Jimmy: THE LAST TIME I WAS HERE HE SHOWED IT TO ME ON HIS iPHONE FOR LIKE 30 SECONDS. "CIRCLE OF LIFE". WE HAD LAUNCHED IT. Jimmy: IT LOOKED AMAZING ON THE PHONE BUT EVEN BETTER AT THE MOVIE. N THAT'S A 2K3GOOD, CAN WE USE THAT IN THE PROMOTION? Jimmy: Certainly. IT WAS THE FIRST TIME YOU SHOWED THE FILM TO THE PUBLIC. YOU'VE GENERALLY HAD TEST SCREENINGS WHERE YOU'VE SHOWED IT TO GROUPS OR ADVANCED SCREENINGS FOR CRITICS.

BUT WE FINISHED JUST IN TIME FOR THIS PREMIERE AND THERE IT WAS ON THE DOLBY. Jimmy: HUGE THEATER. WHERE YOU HAVE ORGANIZED THE OSCARS. IT'S A LITTLE INTIMIDATING AND THEN THEY'RE ALL THERE. THE ACTORS HAD NOT SEEN THE FILM. MOST OF THEM HAD NOT SEEN ANYTHING OF THAT YET. AND THERE WE WERE. AND YOU START TO REALIZE THAT MAYBE HE DON'T LIKE IT. NEVER THINK ABOUT THAT. YOU DO ALL THE ADVERTISING. AND I'M JUST THERE DIGGING, LESS THAN GETTING MY NAILS, BECAUSE I WAS NEEDING MY FINGERS INTO MY WIFE'S WRIST THE WHOLE TIME. Jimmy: WERE YOU REALLY THAT NERVOUS?

YES, I'M USED TO DOING COMEDY. AND THE BEGINNING OF "THE LION KING", NOT FOR SPOILERS, BUT THERE ARE SOME SAD THINGS THAT HAPPEN AT THE BEGINNING OF THE MOVIE. AND I FELT THAT THE LAUGHTER STARTED TO CUT, THAT WAS WHEN I FELT, I STARTED TO RELAX, EAT MY POPCORN AND ENJOY THE AFTERNOON. Jimmy: BILLY IEGNER AND SETH ROGEN ARE FUN. AND THEY WERE WORRIED ABOUT THAT TOO, THOSE ARE BIG SHOES TO FILL. Jimmy: SETH WAS HERE LAST NIGHT, and I was tal

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to him after the show, and he said, you know, she really hadn't seen anything.

THAT'S CORRECT. Jimmy: And he WAS SO RELIEVED. I FELT LIKE THERE WAS A LOT OF IMPROVISATION, OH, JOHN PICKED ALL THE RIGHT THINGS. And that worried him and I guess he chose all the right things. THAT'S MY BACKGROUND. EITHER ELF OR IRON MAN. I HAVE ALWAYS LOVED IMPROVISATION, THE THINGS THAT CAN BRING IT A LITTLE LIFE. AND HE LOVED SPENDING ALL THAT TIME METICULOUSLY TYING EVERY DAY. YOU COULD CUT ANYTHING AND ANIMAT IT. IT REALLY WAS THE BEST. AND THEY ARE BOTH VERY FUNNY, AND WE RECORDED THEM TOGETHER. In fact, we represent it as a theater rehearsal space and we record the voices of it so that what you are seeing is much more natural and improvised.

Jimmy: THEY'RE MOVING, NOT STANDING IN FRONT OF A MICROPHONE. RIGHT. Jimmy: I WANT TO GET SOMETHING OUT. I HOPE THIS DOES NOT BOTHER YOU. OH. Jimmy: HE WAS STUDYING SOME OF THE SCENES. AND HE SEEMS THAT YOUR FILM OF HIM HAS STUNNING AND DISTURBING SIMILARITIES WITH ANOTHER FILM CALLED "THE LION KING" WHICH WAS RELEASED IN 1994. WOULD YOU LIKE TO EXPLAIN THIS? THIS IS FAKE NEWS. I DON'T KNOW WHERE HE GOT THIS FROM. Jimmy: HAVE THE PEOPLE WHO MADE THE ORIGINAL LION KING MOVIE SEEN YOUR MOVIE YET? THEY WERE THERE, REALLY. Jimmy: IN THIS THING? THEY WERE ALSO VERY INVOLVED.

THEY WOULD COME, LIKE ROB MINKOFF. I ALWAYS WANTED TO CONSULT WITH THEM. I FELT LIKE THIS WAS THE KIND OF MOVIE WHERE THE FIRST ONE STANDS UP SO INCREDIBLY WELL. AND SOME PEOPLE HAVE GROWN UP WITH IT I WANTED TO MAKE SURE WE RESPECTED THEIR LEGACY, BUT IT'S ABOUT HALF AN HOUR LONGER THAN THE ORIGINAL. THERE IS A LOT OF IMPROVEMENT, MANY SCENES THAT WERE NOT IN THE ORIGINAL. HANS ZIMMER WAS IN THE ORIGINAL. THEY WERE AT THE PREMIERE AND THEY STAYED AT THE PARTY AND SEEMED THEY LIKED IT. I WAS GRATEFUL. Jimmy: THAT HAS TO BE A BIG RELIEF.

A FILM LIKE THIS, FEELS A SENSE OF RESPONSIBILITY TOWARDS THE ORIGINAL FILMMAKERS, THE FANS. THIS WAS MORE PRESSURE THAN I HAD FELT BEFORE. Jimmy: EVEN MORE THAN IRONMAN? NOBODY EXPECTED MUCH WHEN WE STARTED. AT FIRST IT WAS NOTHING AND PEOPLE WERE DELIGHTED TO SEE ROBERT AND THAT HERO RETURN. AND I THINK THE RUSSO BROTHERS FELT THAT PRESSURE MORE WITH THE AVENGERS MOVIES. Jimmy: YOU ALSO HAVE A SHOW ON NETFLIX. YES. Jimmy: THE CHEF SHOW, WHICH IS A LOT, LOOKS LIKE YOU'RE HAVING A LOT OF FUN AND IT'S A LOT OF FUN TO WATCH. YES. Jimmy: THE IDEA OF THE EYE IS YOU AND ROY CHOI.

YOU GO AND COOK WITH PEOPLE, CELEBRITIES AND OTHER CHEFS. A LOT, IT WAS HONESTLY INSPIRED BY, I DON'T KNOW IF YOU KNOW THIS ABOUT JIMMY, HE'S AN AMAZING COOK. I HAVE NEVER COOKED WITH YOU. BUT HE'S A GREAT COOK AND A GREAT HOST AND HE WILL GET TOGETHER CHEFS AND CELEBRITIES AND PEOPLE WHO ENJOY FOOD. We had DAVID CHANG, ADAM PERRY LANG. Jimmy: CHRIS BIONCO. AND ALL THE CONVERSATIONS AND THE THINGS I LEARNED, IT WAS A GREAT TIME. THIS IS SOMETHING PEOPLE WOULD LOVE TO SEE, AND IT'S A GREAT WAY TO TALK TO PEOPLE AND GET TO KNOW THEM BY COOKING FOR THEM.

Jimmy: SO YOU DID THAT AND THEN YOU DIDN'T INVITE ME TO BE IN IT. I DID IT. SHE KEPT WANTING TO DO IT AT YOUR HOUSE, WHICH MAY HAVE BEEN TOO MUCH. Jimmy: I WOULD LOVE TO DO IT. IT'S FANTASTIC. YOU ARE NOT KNOWN BY KWCOOKING. DO YOU THINK OH, THIS IS GREAT, IT HAS TO BE GOOD? IT'S INCREDIBLE TO ME THAT IF I'M COOKING A MEAL FOR PEOPLE AT HIGH MMY HOUSE OR MAKING A MOVIE, IT'S ALL THE SAME THING. BUT THE FEELING I GET WHEN YOU COOK SOMETHING AND SOMEONE LIKES IT, ESPECIALLY IF A CHEF TRYES IT AND THINKS IT'S FRESH, MAKES MY DAY.

I DO NOT KNOW WHY. I THINK AS I GET OLDER, LIKE MR. MIYAGI, YOU WANT TO MAKE BONSAI TREES. You get caught up in the meticulousness of a hobby. YOU WANT TO LEARN THINGS. AND WHEN YOU'RE YOUNG EVERYONE WANTS TO TEACH YOU THINGS. Jimmy: ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU COULD EAT THOSE THINGS AFTER YOU MADE THEM MR. I AUGUST MIYAGI COULD NOT DO. IT WAS A FANTASTIC MOVIE. GREAT JOB. Jimmy: LOOK, THAT'S ALL YOU REALLY NEED. A BACKUP SOUND U RIGHT THERE. ♪ IN THE CIRCLE ♪ THE CIRCLE OF LIFE Jimmy: THAT'S THE LION KING. This IS THE DIRECTOR OF "THE LION KING".

JON FAVREAU. OPEN ONE WEEK FROM TOMORROW. EVERYONE IS GOING TO LOVE IT. NO DOUBT EVERYONE WILL LOVE IT. AT THE PREMIERE, HE ANNOUNCED, HE WAS ON STAGE AND SAID, THE ENTIRE MOVIE IS CGI, EXCEPT ONE SCENE. A SHOT. EVERY ENVIRONMENT WAS COMPLETELY GENERATED BY COMPUTERS. EACH PERFORMANCE WAS ANIMATED IN T-FRAME THE SAME WAY IN BAMBI'S TIME, BUT WITH THE COMPUTERS USING IT FOR LIGHTING AND RENDERING, THIS BEAUTIFUL REAL NATURALISM PHOTO IS CREATED. I want people to know that we weren't out there just shooting plates. PEOPLE REFER TO THIS AS LIVE ACTION. Jimmy: I WAS WATCHING AND I WAS LEAVING, HOW DID THIS HAPPEN?

WHICH PART IS REAL AFRICA? YES. Jimmy: ARE THEY ANIMALS? WELL, AFRICA IS REAL, BUT IN OUR FILM. Jimmy: THEN THERE'S AFRICA. I WAS CONFUSED BY THAT. WE TOOK PHOTOS THERE AND WE WENT EXPLORING. WE MAKE SURE TO SOURCE ALL SPECIES AND PLANT LIFE. Jimmy: ANIMAL HAIR, BODY MOVEMENTS. ALL THOSE SIMULATIONS, I LEARNED A LOT IN "THE JUNGLE BOOK". WE STARTED WORKING ON THIS, AND THE OTHER INTERESTING THING, WE TOOK ALL THOSE VDIGITAL FILES AND BROUGHT THEM INTO VR AND CREATED THIS FILM MAKING GAME WHERE THE ENTIRE TEAM PUT ON HEADSETS AND WAS ABLE TO WALK AND LOOK AT THE PRIDE LANDS AND WATCH THE PERFORMANCES ANIMATED AND CAMERAS SET INSIDE THE VR.

SO IT FELT LIKE WE WERE MAKING A MOVIE INSIDE VIRTUAL REALITY. Jimmy: BEYONCE WAS AT THE PREMIERE. IS SHE REAL? IS SHE A REAL PERSON? I HAVE SEEN HER FACE TO FACE AND ON STAGE. Jimmy: HOW DID YOU APPROACH BEYONCE TO BE IN YOUR FILM? I DIDN'T KNOW, IT'S ONE OF THOSE THINGS YOU WANT TO GET INVOLVED IN OR NOT. I SENT THE MESSAGE THROUGH HER. SHE DIDN'T HAVE ANY PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP, AND WHEN SHE SAID, SHE HAS CHILDREN AND SHE -- Jimmy: THAT HELPS. AN AFFINITY FOR -- Jimmy: THE RIGHT AGE GROUP. AND HE COULD SING.

Jimmy: SHE'S A GOOD SINGER. SHE IS A GOOD SINGER. SO THE IDEA OF SHE REINTERPRETING THOSE CLASSIC SONGS AND WE HAD ALL THE ORIGINAL SONGS, WAS AN EXCITING NOTION, SO WHEN I HEARD SHE WANTED TO DO IT WAS WHEN I KNEW I WAS A HOMEMADE MAN BECAUSE I HAVE TWO DAUGHTERS AND A WIFE. AND THEY ARE TEENAGERS. SO FOR THE FIRST TIME IN FOUR YEARS I CATCHED HIS ATTENTION DURING DINNER. Jimmy: DID YOU GET TO MEET BEYONCE? WE FINALLY WENT TO SEE HER AT THE ROSE BOWL AND THEN WE MET HER, WHICH IS A GOOD MESSAGE FOR TECH KIDS.

SHE GIVES A GREAT SHOW AND YOU MEET HER LATER, AND SHE'S LIKE A NORMAL HUMAN WHO IS POLITE AND LIKE HIM, THE ENTIRE PERSON FROM THE STAGE PRESENCE DISAPPEARS, AND SHE IS JUST A VERY NICE AND ELEGANT PRESENTER WHO HAD US ALL . THERE. Jimmy: AND SHOWS THEM THAT DOD DADDY IS AWESOME. YES. AND THE SAME WITH THE CHILDREN'S GAMBINO. MY SON HAD HIS PHOTO ON THE WALL. As we get older, it's nice to have young people in your life who let you know what's going on before you drift off into your weird little cocoon of isolation.

Jimmy: I KNOW WHAT YOU MEAN. I don't listen to anything but the 80's radio station. AND STRANGER THINGS, I BOND WITH MY DAUGHTER WATCHING THAT, BUT BEYOND THAT I REALLY NEED TO BE GUIDED THROUGH THIS CULTURE. Jimmy: YOU HAD THE ORIGINAL MUFASA. WAS THAT THE ONLY ORIGINAL MEMBER OF KCAS? JAMES EARL JONES. Jimmy: NO NEWS, NO JAMES EARL JONES JR. OUTSIDE, RIGHT? I HAD HAD A VERY DIFFICULT TIME HAVING TO REFORM THAT. Jimmy: I WOULD HAVE DONE THAT. BUT YOU'RE BUSY. Jimmy: WITH THE WHOLE KITCHEN AND EVERYTHING ELSE. AND ALSO, HEARING HIS VOICE, EVEN, AND BEYOND BEING JUST JAMES EARL JONES AS MUFASA, MY CHILDHOOD AS DARTH VADER.

Jimmy: FOR ME, CNN. BUT SPEAKING OF DARTH VADER, YOU'RE PRODUCING A SERIES FOR DISNEY PLUS. I AM WORKING WITH OTHER DIRECTORS. Jimmy: CALLED THE MANDELORIAN. OH, YOU'RE WEARING THE SOCKS. IS THAT WHAT THEY GAVE YOU IN EXCHANGE? YES, AND I SHAVED MY LEGS FOR THIS LOOK. Jimmy: CAN YOU TELL US SOMETHING ABOUT THE MANDELORIAN? WHAT'S GOING ON THIS IS A BOUNTY HUNTER. ALL HELL IS BREAKING LOOSE ON THE OUTER EDGE. AND IT'S ABOUT VILLAINY THAT ONCE THE RULE OF LAW IS TAKEN AWAY, CHAOS TAKES AWAY, AND YOU HAVE A LOT OF INAPPROPRIATE CHARACTERS. Jimmy: IS IT BASED ON CURRENT EVENTS?

D'SIT IS LIKE WHEN YOU MEET HANS SOLO. I LIKE THE PICARO GALLERY. I GET TOGETHER WITH DAVE FALONI. IT'S LIKE PLAYING ALL YOUR "STAR WARS" TOYS TOGETHER. WE FINISHED THE FIRST SEASON. I'M HAVING FUN. Jimmy: YOU'RE HAVING A GOOD LIFE. EVERYTHING YOU DO TURNED INTO GOLD. IT'S AMAZING. AND SUPER FUN Jimmy: GO SEE "THE LION KING."