Mufasa: Everything We Know About The Lion King Prequel So Far

Orphan. Outsider. King. Disney reveals Mufasa's origin story in The Lion King prequel, in theaters Dec. 20.

By Cameron Bonomolo - April 29, 2024 01:00 pm EDT

It's the Circle of Life: The Lion King is crowned the biggest box office hit of 1994. The Disney animated movie becomes a classic and — 25 years later — inspires a photorealistic remake. Five years after that, the 2019 remake spawns a sequel/prequel, titled Mufasa: The Lion King. Disney on Monday debuted the trailer for the CG-animated musical, revealing the first footage from the origin story of Simba's father and future king of the Pride Lands, Mufasa (voiced by James Earl Jones in the 1994 original and the 2019 remake).

Before he was MUFASA (said with Jones' basso profondo voice), Mufasa was a young lion who, like his son Simba, had to find his way in the great Circle of Life. As we prepare to return to Pride Rock, we've rounded up the lion's share of everything you need to know about Mufasa: The Lion King before it roars into theaters on December 20.

Who will play Mufasa and Scar in Mufasa: The Lion King?

Directed by Barry Jenkins, The Lion King prequel stars stage and screen actor Aaron Pierre (Foe) as the voice of young Mufasa. After Jenkins — the Oscar-winning director of Moonlight — saw Pierre's performance as Cassio in a UK production of Othello in 2018, he invited the actor to audition for his historical drama TV series The Underground Railroad. ("I'd made it really clear in conversations before how much I wanted to collaborate with this man, how inspired I am by him and how much I respect his work," Pierre told The Standard in a 2021 interview.)

Kelvin Harrison Jr., known for roles in It Comes at Night and The Trial of the Chicago 7, voices Mufasa's brother and rival, the lion prince Taka, who eventually becomes known as Scar (voiced by Chiwetel Ejiofor) and usurps the throne in The Lion King.

Who is voicing who in the Mufasa: The Lion King cast?

Black Panther star John Kani, who voiced Mufasa's friend and advisor, Rafiki, reprises his role from the 2019 film, with Kagiso Lediga (Queen Sono) voicing young Rafiki; Billy Eichner and Seth Rogen, who voiced Timon and Pumbaa, also reprise their respective roles from the 2019 version as the carefree duo. The cast of characters includes Mufasa's granddaughter, Kiara (Blue Ivy Carter), the cub born to Simba (Donald Glover) and Nala (Beyoncé) at the end of The Lion King.

The just-announced voice cast features Tiffany Boone (Hamilton) as Sarabi, Mufasa's future queen; Thandiwe Newton (Solo: A Star Wars Story) as Taka's mother, Eshe; Lennie James (Fear the Walking Dead) as Taka's father, Obasi; Anika Noni Rose (The Princess and the Frog) as Mufasa's mother, Afia; Keith David (Gargoyles) as Mufasa's father, Masego; and Mads Mikkelsen (Doctor Strange) as Kiros, a formidable lion with big plans for his pride. Glover and Beyoncé are reprising their roles as reigning king and queen Simba and Nala.

What is Mufasa: The Lion King about?

Mufasa: The Lion King is a prequel to The Lion King (2019), and tells the story about Mufasa's ascension to the throne as king of the Pride Lands. Rafiki recounts Mufasa's origin story to the late king's descendant, Kiara, telling the cub about "a lion who was born without a drop of nobility in its blood… a lion who would change our lives forever… a lion who will shape our destiny." The story, as told by Rafiki, "begins far beyond the mountain and the shadows on the other side of the light."

"It's a story about how Mufasa rose to royalty," Jenkins said at Disney's D23 Expo in 2022. "We assume he was just born into his lineage, but Mufasa was actually an orphaned cub who had to navigate the world alone. In telling this story, we get to experience the real journey of how Mufasa found his place in the Circle of Life."

Jenkins added: "What you'll learn from the story is that Mufasa is who he is ... because of the family and the friends that he has. And so I saw myself in that. I thought: 'This is a really beautiful story to tell.'"

The official synopsis: "Mufasa: The Lion King enlists Rafiki to relay the legend of Mufasa to young lion cub Kiara, daughter of Simba and Nala, with Timon and Pumbaa lending their signature schtick. Told in flashbacks, the story introduces Mufasa as an orphaned cub, lost and alone until he meets a sympathetic lion named Taka — the heir to a royal bloodline. The chance meeting sets in motion an expansive journey of an extraordinary group of misfits searching for their destiny — their bonds will be tested as they work together to evade a threatening and deadly foe."

Who directed The Lion King prequel?

Barry Jenkins — best known for his films Moonlight and If Beale Street Could Talk — is behind the film, set before (and after) the Jon Favreau-directed Lion King remake. Jeff Nathanson, who wrote the 2019 re-imagining as well as Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, returned to pen the script.

"Mufasa is the king, the greatest king of the Pride Lands, and you assume he got that way just because he is," Jenkins told EW in 2022. "And I thought the studio and Jeff Nathanson, who wrote the script, did a great job of really exploring how people become great, how people come to be these mythic figures we look up to." Jenkins added to expect "a ton of familiar faces" as well as "really wonderful musical numbers."

Other behind-the-camera crew includes Jenkins' Oscar-winning Moonlight producer Adele Romanski and the Emmy-nominated Mark Ceryak (The Underground Railroad, Aftersun). Like The Lion King 2019, Mufasa blends live-action filmmaking techniques with photoreal computer-generated imagery.

Who is doing Mufasa: The Lion King music?

Hans Zimmer scored both the 1994 and 2019 versions of The Lion King (the latter with Pharrell Williams), but the Mufasa soundtrack comes from Lin-Manuel Miranda (Disney's Moana, Disney's Encanto, Disney's live-action The Little Mermaid, Hamilton). Miranda is writing the film's songs produced by longtime Zimmer collaborator and composer Mark Mancina (Disney's Tarzan and Brother Bear), with additional music and performances by Lebo M (the 1994 and 2019 versions of The Lion King).

"Elton John. Tim Rice. Hans Zimmer. Lebo M. Mark Mancina. Beyoncé, Labrinth, Ilya Salmanzadeh. Beau Black, Ford Riley, the incredible music team on The Lion Guard, and so many musical contributors over the years," Miranda said in a statement. "The Lion King has an incredible musical legacy with music from some of the greatest songwriters around, and I'm humbled and proud to be a part of it. It's been a joy working alongside Barry Jenkins to bring Mufasa's story to life, and we can't wait for audiences to experience this film in theaters."

When does Mufasa: The Lion King come out?

Mufasa: The Lion King is set to open in theaters December 20.

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