Mufasa: The Lion King: James Earl Jones Not Returning for Sequel

By Nicole Drum

On Friday, Disney announced Mufasa: The Lion King, Walt Disney Studios' computer-generated "live action" sequel to The Lion King, during a panel at D23 Expo. The film, which is expected to debut in theaters in 2024 will reportedly be told in two different time frames as Timon, Pumbaa, and Rafiki tell the origin story of Mufasa whilst we see Mufasa rise to royalty. But while fans are excited for the film, which is more of a prequel than a true sequel, there is one bit of news that is a little disappointing. James Earl Jones, who provided the voice of Mufasa in the classic animated The Lion King, will not be returning for this film. Instead, the role of Mufasa will be played by Aaron Pierre.

Pierre's casting was first revealed in a report last summer. Pierre, who starred in Amazon's The Underground Railroad and also appeared in M. Night Shyamalan's Old, was one of two casting announcements at that time. The other was Kelvin Harrison Jr., best known for Luce and The Trial of the Chicago 7, as the voice of Taka. Taka is the real name of Scar, Mufasa's brother who ultimately betrays and murders him as he attempts to take over as king. This new film will be directed by Barry Jenkins.

"I grew up with this characters, they mean so much to me," Jenkins explained in an interview this past month. "I think the work that Jeff Nathanson, the writer, did and going back into really helping children and anyone who ever loved this property understand what it takes. Kings aren't just born; they aren't just made. They have to become who they are through a series of events that a lot of people can relate to. So, in that standpoint, it fits very well with everything else I've done. So, I feel no pressure, I just want to do a good job."

"My agents send me a lot of scripts. When this one came, super top secret, I was very skeptical," Jenkins told Chloe Zhao during a filmed interview in 2020. "I read the script and about 40 pages in I turned to Lulu [Wang] and I said, 'Holy s**t, this is good.' And as I kept reading, I got further away from the side of my brain that said, 'Oh, a filmmaker like you doesn't make a film like this,' and allowed myself to get to the place where these characters, this story, is amazing. What really pushed me across the line was James, my DP, said, 'You know what? There's something really interesting in this mode of filmmaking that we haven't done and that not many people have done.' That was when I went back to the powers that be and said, 'I would love to do this, but I've got to be able to do what I do.'"

Mufasa: The Lion King is expected to open in theaters in 2024.

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