The Walt Disney Company provided a first look at their highly anticipated prequel to 2019’s The Lion King at their D23 Expo event last week. Titled Mufasa: The Lion King, the new film will tell the origin story of Mufasa, one of Disney’s most iconic characters. It is directed by Barry Jenkins, known for acclaimed movies like Moonlight.
Set for a December 2024 release, Mufasa: The Lion King will go back in time to show Mufasa as a young cub. According to Jenkins, it will explore Mufasa and other characters in both the past and present. Some familiar faces are set to return, including Beyoncé and Donald Glover reprising their roles as adult Nala and Simba. Blue Ivy Carter, daughter of Beyoncé and Jay-Z, will lend her voice to the younger version of Nala’s daughter, Kiara.
A scene from the film featured at D23 featured a new original song by Lin-Manuel Miranda titled “I Always Wanted a Brother.” It will show the developing friendship between young Mufasa, voiced by Aaron Pierre, and his future rival Scar, voiced by Kelvin Harrison Jr. Harrison Jr. teased that Scar will have a more complex character arc as a cub, described as “hilarious” and “the sweetest young lion.”
Mufasa will employ the same photorealistic animation style as the 2019 version. But Jenkins intends to bring a fresh perspective by exploring themes of identity, legacy, and what it means to be royal. His vision and an ensemble cast promise to re-examine these classic characters for new audiences. Disney looks to continue reinventing its beloved stories for modern generations with Mufasa: The Lion King coming to theaters next December.
