From Fortune · Orianna Rosa Royle · · 2m
The $2 million deal Disney regretted
Jason Weaver's mother rejected a huge upfront payment for The Lion King and negotiated royalties instead. Thirty-two years later, he's still being paid.
In brief
Jason Weaver's mother rejected a huge upfront payment for The Lion King and negotiated royalties instead. Thirty-two years later, he's still being paid. Jason Weaver's mother turned down Disney's two million dollar offer to voice young Simba in The Lion King, negotiating royalties instead. He has since earned more…
Disney's huge offer
Disney offered thirteen year old Jason Weaver two million dollars to sing as young Simba in The Lion King. His mother and manager, Marilyn Kitty Haywood, rejected the deal.
Why the offer mattered
For a kid from Chicago in the early nineteen nineties, two million dollars was extraordinary. Weaver's biggest previous paycheck was about eighty thousand dollars for playing young Michael Jackson.
The counter offer
Haywood negotiated for royalties and about one hundred thousand dollars upfront instead. Thirty years on, Weaver has made more than the two million dollars he rejected.
Why she saw further
Haywood noticed Disney kept re releasing its old classics decade after decade. The casting came after Aladdin and Beauty and the Beast succeeded. She knew the first offer was rarely the last.
“She was able to see the playing field and go, wait a minute, this is gonna make a lot of money over time, so what happens when my son turns 40?”
The franchise exploded
The Lion King became a theme park, dolls, T shirts, video games and more.The film has grossed nearly one billion dollars at the box office.
Weaver's career after
Weaver starred in sitcoms Thea and Smart Guy, and films including Drumline, The Ladykillers and ATL. He released his debut album Love Ambition on Motown in nineteen ninety five.
The ongoing payments
Estimates put Weaver's net worth between four million and seven million dollars.He says royalty checks keep coming whether or not he has a job.The payments will pass to his children and their children after.
“When I got my first royalty check, me and my mom thought it was a mistake.”
Still getting paid 32 years later
Thirty two years after The Lion King, Weaver continues receiving royalty payments. He says the income is so helpful that when he gets a check, it still feels like a win.
“Even nowadays, when I get a check, it's like…yes!”
At a glance
Jason Weaver's mother turned down Disney's two million dollar offer to voice young Simba in The Lion King, negotiating royalties instead. He has since earned more than double that amount and continues receiving payments thirty two years later.
