Mufasa: The Lion King Trailer Teases a New Original Story
While most of Disney’s remakes seem content to retell old stories, Mufasa: The Lion King appears to be taking the franchise in a new direction.
At D23 on Friday, Disney unveiled the official trailer for Mufasa: The Lion King. Oscar-winning director Barry Jenkins takes the reins on the prequel, which explores the origins of Mufasa and how he became the Lion King. The film is framed as a story told to Mufasa’s granddaughter Kiara by the mandrill Rafiki, the meerkat Timon, and the warthog Pumbaa.
Experience the epic story of how an orphan became a King. #Mufasa: The Lion King, only in theaters December 20. pic.twitter.com/gpneur3Nwt
— Walt Disney Studios (@DisneyStudios) August 10, 2024
Aaron Pierre voices young Mufasa, an orphan taken in by a royal family. Afterwards, he grows close to the young prince Taka(Kevin Harrison Jr), who would later become the evil Scar. In addition, the film has assembled a large supporting cast voicing other lions in the Pride Lands. They include Keith David(Amphibia) as Masego, Thandiwe Newton(Westworld) as Eshe, and Mads Mikkelson(Another Round) as the villainous white lion Kiros. Furthermore, Seth Rogan, Billy Eichner, Donald Glover, Beyonce, and John Kani reprise their roles from The Lion King. Finally, Blue Ivy Carter makes her feature film debut as Kiara.
Long before they became legends, Mufasa and the Prince who would come to be known as Scar, became brothers.#Mufasa: The Lion King, only in theaters December 20. pic.twitter.com/9wcPRelZws
— Walt Disney Studios (@DisneyStudios) August 10, 2024
The photorealistic remake of The Lion King, directed by Jon Favreau, was released in 2019. Despite criticisms, it became the highest-grossing animated film of all time. Barry Jenkins signed on to direct a follow-up in 2020. The film’s title was revealed in 2022 at the D23 Expo, and the first official trailer was released a few months ago. Unlike other remakes of classic Disney works, Mufasa: The Lion King is an entirely original story. As such, there is a particular aura around this project as it could forge its own path separate from its iconic predecessor.
Mufasa: The Lion King releases on December 20. Watch the 2019 film and the original 1994 film on Disney+ here. You can watch the trailer for the upcoming film below.
