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A long-awaited addition to Disney’s The Lion King has been announced, in the form of a new prequel titled Mufasa: The Lion King. In a live news announcement at the D23 expo, it was shared that the new film will be directed by Barry Jenkins, and will be set around the narrative of Mufasa as a young orphaned lion cub, and will feature favourite characters Timon and Pumba, as well as Rafiki, and Mufasa’s brother, the murderous villain Scar.
Sean Bailey, president of Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures addressed the crowd at Disney’s fan celebration D23 Expo:
“Well before Simba took his place in the circle of life, another great king ruled over the Pride Lands. This is his story.”
Barry Jenkins said the film would be told in different perspectives between past and present:
“‘Mufasa’ is the origin story of one of the greatest kings in the history of pride lions. Rafiki, Timon, and Pumbaa — we all know and love — are relaying the story of Mufasa.
Mufasa was actually an orphaned cub who had to navigate the world alone, by himself. In telling this story, we get to experience the real journey of how Mufasa found his place in the Circle of Life. It is pretty awesome.
When I was 14, I was helping raise two nephews and there was a VHS tape we watched maybe 95 times in a span of 20 days. So I really knew this character. I loved him. As I was reading this wonderful script, I was thinking about Mufasa and why he’s great and how people become great. What you’ll learn in this story is that Mufasa is who he is, he is great, because of the family and friends he has with him, and so I saw myself in that.”
Although the visual preview was exclusively available at the expo, it is reported that the teaser lasted for 1:20 and featured the young Mufasa holding onto a log for safety in water, drawing parallels from viewers between the scene of his death in The Lion King.
Although the news has only recently broken, it looks confirmed that some voice actors have been announced:
Aaron Pierre is said to star as Mufasa, while Kelvin Harrison Jr will perform the role of Scar. Timon and Pumba will be played by Billy Eichner and Seth Rogen respectively, with John Kani voicing Rafiki.
One person of interest is James Earl Jones – it is uncertain at this point whether the iconic actor will be reprising the role of the adult Mufasa, as Jones has previously performed in the animated and CGI remakes of the film.
Set for release in theatres in 2024, Mufasa sounds like it’s returning back to the feel of the original animated film, which has been a hit with audiences for decades.
You can view some of the highlights from the Disney fan celebration D23 Expo.
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Michelle is a musician and composer from the UK. She has performed across the UK and Europe and is passionate about arts education and opportunities for women and girls.
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