Jon Favreau’s New Lion Series Releases On Hulu Next Month After $1.6 Billion Lion King Remake

Published Jul 21, 2026, 7:08 PM EDT Adam has been writing in the entertainment news space for over a decade. Beginning his career of covering film and TV at CinemaBlend, he has also appeared on The Flash Podcast and done several radio spots. Following the commercial success of The Lion King remake, director Jon Favreau’s new series Lion has a release date set for next month on Hulu and other platforms. In 2019, three years after he delivered his remake of The Jungle Book to moviegoers, Favreau returned to the realm of talking Disney animals with The Lion King. Although it wasn’t as positively received as its 1994 predecessor, the remake was a box office success, making over $1.6 billion worldwide. Seven years later, and just several months after he was in the spotlight for helming the Star Wars movie The Mandalorian and Grogu, Favreau is directing his gaze at these large cats again for a documentary series. Hulu has revealed that Lion season 1, a National Geographic production, will be released on Thursday, August 20. It will also be available to watch on Disney+ and the National Geographic Channel that same day. As far as Hulu itself is concerned, Lion is one of three things being added to the streaming service on that date, the others being Invisible Monsters: Serial Killers In America season 1 and Biography: WWE Legends seasons 1, 2, and 4. Announced in 2022, Lion follows a pride of these “majestic creatures” that’s been filmed for four years. Per the official description, the docuseries utilizes “cutting-edge technology to explore the heart-stopping challenges facing an entire species, all told through a compelling, serialized dramatic story of a single group of characters.” Favreau executive produced the docuseries alongside Mike Gunton, “the world’s foremost natural history producer,” and the BBC Studios Natural History Unit. Additionally, Hans Zimmer, who scored both versions of The Lion King, composed the project. Lion will be one of the many National Geographic productions available to view on Hulu. Other releases from recent years include Ocean with David Attenborough, Super Animals, Primal Combat, Secrets of the Zoo, Underdogs, and James Cameron’s Secrets Of… series, which has dedicated seasons to whales, elephants, octopuses, and bees. Additionally, the Disneynature documentary film Orangutan was released this past April, although that remains a Disney+ exclusive. It’s fitting that Favreau got involved with the Lion docuseries given his past fictional experience with these animals. As mentioned earlier, his take on The Lion King ended up being one of the biggest movies in 2019, only trailing behind Avengers: Endgame in the global box office rankings. However, critical reception was more mixed. ScreenRant’s review of The Lion King rated the movie six out of 10 stars, saying that while the “reimagining is a perfectly enjoyable moviegoing experience, it may leave some viewers wanting more (or wanting to watch the animated classic instead).” Along with Lion’s August 20 release, other notable Hulu arrivals next month include Lollapalooza: Livestream (August 1), the Futurama season 14 premiere (August 3), Travis Barker: Louder Than Fear (August 13), and the Adults season 2 premiere (August 27). Both versions of The Lion King remain accessible on Disney+, and the latter’s 2024 prequel/sequel Mufasa: The Lion King, which was directed by Barry Jenkins, can also be viewed on that streaming service. Birthdate October 19, 1966 Birthplace Flushing, New York, United States Height 6 feet 1 inch Professions Actor, Director, Producer, Screenwriter, Comedian, Chef