Disney just dropped the teaser trailer for The Lion King prequel Mufasa: The Lion King, detailing some of the narrative for the upcoming film.
The photorealistic version of 2019’s The Lion King is back, but not for a sequel. Disney just dropped the teaser trailer for Mufasa: The Lion King, a prequel and never-before-seen storyline from even the animated film series. The trailer opened with a new version of the song “Circle of Life,” while John Kani’s Rafiki does some voiceover narration of the story of Mufasa. This first look at the live-action prequel revealed an official roaring release date of December 20, 2024, along with the first look at the film’s poster.
In this iteration of Mufasa’s backstory, he was a lion who was an orphan and not born into nobility. However, this story would tell how he rose to prominence that fans came to know him as. The trailer’s description explained that Mufasa’s story will be told through flashbacks to Kiara, the daughter of Simba and Nala who is being played by Beyoncé’s real-life daughter Blue Ivy Carter. Mufasa means ‘king’ in Swahili, despite his new backstory revealing he was left lost and afraid until he meets a sympathetic lion named Taka. Taka is a new character who is the heir to a royal bloodline, voiced by Kelvin Harrison Jr.
While James Earle Jones voiced the title character in the original The Lion King and the live-action remake, Aaron Pierre will take on the mantle of voicing his younger version. Mads Mikkelsen joins the cast as Kiros, “a formidable lion with big plans for his pride. The rest of the cast includes Tiffany Boone as Sarabi; Kagiso Lediga as young Rafiki; Preston Nyman as Zazu; Thandiwe Newton as Taka’s mother, Eshe; Lennie James as Taka’s father, Obasi; Anika Noni Rose as Mufasa’s mother, Afia; Keith David as Mufasa’s father, Masego; Seth Rogen as Pumbaa; Billy Eichner as Timon; and Donald Glover as Simba.
Mufasa: The Lion King will be directed by Oscar-winning director Barry Jenkins (Moonlight) and Lin-Manuel Miranda (In The Heights, Hamilton) will be writing the film’s songs and producing them alongside Mark Mancina. Additional musical and performances are being done by Lebo M. The film will also use the same photoreal computer-generated imagery as its previous film.
While the reception of the live-action remake was mixed because the animated film was so iconic, it was hard to nail the beat-for-beat shots, but the soundtrack and cinematography somehow saved the film. Regardless, this movie could break new ground for these live-action adaptations of The Lion King because it is an untold story in the canon. It also looked cool to see Mufasa in some snowy mountains, a backdrop we have not seen before.
Mufasa: The Lion King will be out in theatres around the world on December 20, 2024.
