Jason Weaver is all set to bring his wealth of industry knowledge to South Carolina State University. The actor/singer will lead an entertainment industry masterclass and will foster a new generation of film industry trailblazers, making him the latest celebrity to share their expertise in an academic setting. In addition, SOHH highlights other celebrities […]
Showtime’s hit drama, The Chi is returning for a fourth season and we’re going to see some new faces join the cast.
Jason Weaver and Tabitha Brown have been enlisted for recurring roles in Lena Waithe’s show.
Brown is best known as a vegan food influencer but will be on the small screen portraying an interior designer on the show who is connected to Keisha’s character.
Meanwhile, Weaver will portray an old friend of Trig’s (Luke James) named Rahsaad “Shaad” Marshall who is struggling to rebuild his life.
Gary Levine, president of entertainment at Showtime said in 2019 ahead of Season 3. “We, like our viewers, have fallen in love with these characters and we remain eager to see where Lena and her fellow artists will take them.”
In addition to Tabitha Brown and Jason Weaver, Curtiss Cook has been promoted to series regular alongside Jacob Latimore, Alex Hibbert, Yolonda Ross, Shamon Brown Jr., and Michael V. Epps.
Jason Weaver’s career might not be today what it was back in the 90’s when he was popping up on shows like Smart Guy and films like Drumline (crazy underappreciated joint). But fret not for he’s still collecting bread from one of his greatest performances ever, Simba in The Lion King.
That’s right, the same guy who played a young Michael Jackson in the 1992 mini-series, The Jacksons: An American Dream, also voiced your favorite cartoon lion from the early 90’s not named Tony. Luckily Weaver’s mother was showing and proving that she wasn’t raising no fool and instead of taking a $2 million payday from Disney, she felt it better if they negotiated a contract which included future royalties from the upcoming film even though “this was definitely at a time when Disney wasn’t doing those kind of deals.”
In an interview on Vlad TV, Jason revealed that thanks to his mama he’s still getting checks cut by Disney whose The Lion King seems to be on TV every damn weekend.
“Disney had a reputation of that, for like re-releasing stuff. I think at that time they had put out Sleeping Beauty and some of their old catalog from when Walt Disney was alive. They were releasing that stuff when they were releasing the new Disney stuff, so [Weaver’s mother] was able to see the playing field and go, ‘Wait a minute, this is going to make a lot of money over time, so what happens when my son turns 40? Is he going to be able to get a check for this when they eventually re-release this.”
Talk about motherly instincts. After negotiating a new deal for his role in the animated film, Jason walked away with a cool $100K and future royalties for his work. Of course he eventually made back the $2 million that was originally turned down but none of this would’ve been made possible without some good ol’ motherly advice.
Mama definitely knows best.
Check out the interview below and never forget when you see The Lion King playing on TV, Jason Weaver getting paaaiiiid.
Jason weaver was the iconic voice behind Young Simba in the 1994 The Lion King film. He sat down with VladTV recently to talk about why he turned down Disney’s initial $2 million offer.
“I remember it was like $2 million,” said Weaver. “You gotta remember, they’re coming off of Beauty and the Beast. They’re coming off of Aladdin. Disney had bread.”
However, the actor’s mother was thinking about the long-term and decided to negotiate for royalties instead of accepting the large lump sum of cash.
Disney had a reputation for re-releasing stuff. I think at that time they had put out Sleeping Beauty and some of their old catalog from when Walt Disney was alive. They were releasing that stuff when they were releasing the new Disney stuff, so she was able to see the playing field and go, ‘Wait a minute, this is going to make a lot of money over time, so what happens when my son turns 40? Is he going to be able to get a check for this when they eventually re-release this?
The original film grossed about $400 million in the US and nearly $1 billion worldwide in the box office alone, between its original theatrical run, 2002 IMAX re-release, and 2011 3D conversion.
People are interested in the Disney franchise again because a remake featuring Beyonce and Donald Glover was released this year.
Therefore, Jason Weaver made enough off royalties to compensate for that intial check and he continues to eat off his iconic role.
