The king is back in D23With the event offering a fresh look at Disney's live-action film, Mufasa: The Lion KingFriday's events ended with the screening of a full trailer for the film.Watch the video above), while thousands of attendees at D23 were given a special look at a scene from the film featuring Lin-Manuel Miranda's new song, “I Always Wanted a Brother.” According to Deadline, the song “appears in a scene where Mufasa and Scar are young cubs. They quickly become friends, and eventually, more like siblings as the song progresses and they grow into young adults.”
The film is directed by Barry Jenkins and written by Jeff Nathanson, and stars Aaron Beyer as Mufasa, Kelvin Harrison Jr. as Taka (who becomes Scar), Tiffany Boone as Sarabi, Kagiso Ledja as Young Rafiki, Preston Nyman as Zazu, Mads Mikkelsen as Kyros, John Kani as Rafiki, Seth Rogen as Pumbaa, Billy Eichner as Timon, Donald Glover as Simba, and Beyoncé Knowles-Carter as Nala. The rest of the cast includes Thandio Newton, Lennie James, Anika Noni Rose, Keith David, and Blue Ivy Carter as Kiara, Simba and Nala's daughter.
You can check out the official synopsis for: Mufasa: The Lion King less.
Mufasa: The Lion King brings the legend of Mufasa to life with the young lion cub Kiara, daughter of Simba and Nala, with Timon and Pumbaa adding their own distinctive style. Told in flashbacks, the story introduces Mufasa as an orphaned lion cub, lost and alone until he meets a compassionate lion named Taka – heir to a royal lineage. The chance encounter sets off a far-reaching journey for an unlikely group of outcasts in search of their destiny – their bonds tested as they work together to evade a menacing and deadly enemy.
Mufasa: The Lion King is set to hit theaters in December.
Known for films such as the Oscar-winning moonlight And equally famous If Beale Street could talk, directing Mufasa: The Lion King This seems to be a real change of pace for director Barry Jenkins. The director has since explained why he was drawn to the Disney film, revealing that it will serve as both a prequel and sequel to the hugely successful 2019 film.
“I think you’re going to see a lot of familiar faces. It’s a prequel, but again, it’s a prequel in the sense that these characters are all the same, but we’re telling you how they became who they are,” the director explained. “So we’re literally going back in time. We’re going back in time with a lot of these characters. We’re in the present as well, but we’re also going back to tell you who these characters were.”
Related to
How Disney's Lion King Can Fix the Problems of the Remake
The 2019 remake of The Lion King received a lot of criticism for its lack of originality, though Barry Jenkins is working on a change for the sequel.
The premise will include a backstory for Disney's iconic villain, Scar, with actor Kelvin Harrison Jr. previously hinting at a very different take on the character.
“We're going to get a real backstory for Scar, and he's so funny. He's still so hot. And he's also the coolest young lion you'll ever meet. So it's going to be fun to see the relationship between Scar and Mufasa.”
Mufasa: The Lion King
The film is scheduled to be released in theaters on December 20, 2024.
