If you’re interested in more stories from the world of The Lion King, get ready, because Mufasa: The Lion King is on its way!
The live-action reimagining of The Lion King was released in 2019, and the film (which has key differences from the original), didn't receive stellar reviews. However, it cleaned up at the box office, making over $1 billion. With that, it was probably only a matter of time before the House of Mouse greenlit another installment. That follow-up turned out to be the Mufasa prequel.
The title pretty much gives away the character that's at the center of this story. But there are still a number of questions about the production that need to be answered. So let's dive in.
What Is The Mufasa: The Lion King Release Date?
At the time of updating this in March 2024, Mufasa: The Lion King is set to release on December 20, 2024, as reported by Variety. That means it will be appearing on our 2024 movie schedule.
Originally, the film was set to release in July 2024, but was delayed. This was due to the WGA strike in 2023. Several 2023 new movie releases moved from their original release dates, like the Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire film and even several Marvel films.
The fact that Mufasa: The Lion King fell under that umbrella does not surprise me one bit, but here’s hoping it keeps that December release date.
Aaron Pierre, Kelvin Harrison Jr. And More Will Star
The cast for Mufasa: The Lion King is already looking to be an incredible one, so here’s who we know is going to appear in the film so far:
Aaron Pierre as Mufasa
Deadline confirmed in August 2021 that Aaron Pierre would be voicing Mufasa in the upcoming prequel.
Aaron Pierre has appeared in movies such as M. Night Shyamalan's Old (which is in the middle of our ranking of Shyamalan’s films), and Brother. He also had a role in the excellent Amazon Prime miniseries The Underground Railroad. In the live-action Lion King, Mufasa was voiced by James Earl Jones.
Kelvin Harrison Jr. as Scar
Also reported in that Deadline article was that Kelvin Harrison Jr. would be playing Scar – otherwise known as “Taka” before his name changed.
Kelvin Harrison Jr. has been working in the industry for many years and has appeared in films such as Mudbound, It Comes at Night, Cyrano and (most recently in 2023) the historical drama Chevalier, in which he played the titular character. In the live-action Lion King, Scar was voiced by Chiwetel Ejiofor.
Seth Rogen as Pumbaa
In addition to the two aforementioned leads, the production has cast three other actors. Announced at D23 (via MovieWeb) in September 2022, Seth Rogen, was confirmed to return to voice Pumbaa from the 2019 film.
Rogen has appeared in such films like This Is The End, Neighbors, Superbad, Pineapple Express, The Fablemans and more.
Billy Eichner as Timon
That D23 announcement also confirmed that Billy Eichner would be back as Timon for Mufasa: The Lion King. The actor is well-known for his role on Parks and Recreation and appeared in several other films, like Bros. and Noelle.
John Kani as Rafiki
D23 also confirmed that John Kani would be back as Rafiki from the 2019 film. The actor has appeared in films like Black Panther, Murder Mystery, The Suit and more.
It would make sense for John Kani's Rafiki to return, considering that it was always emphasized that the wise primate had a solid friendship with Mufasa ahead of Simba's birth.
Mufasa: The Lion King Will Tell The Story Of Mufasa And Scar
Originally, from Deadline in September 2020, it was confirmed that the film will explore the titular protagonist's formative years.
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The article said that the film will explore the mythology of the characters we know and dive deeper into Mufasa’s origin story -- which lines up with what the Hollywood Handle reported.
Director Barry Jenkins even spoke about the upcoming origin story in an interview with Entertainment Weekly in September 2022, saying that Mufasa didn’t just “get there” to become this all-powerful monarch, and that the movie does a good job of showing how people like Mufasa became “great:”
Mufasa is the king, the greatest king of the Pride Lands, and you assume he got that way just because he is," Jenkins explains. "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.
Sign me up because I’m here for it.
Harrison Jr. Said The Film Will Also Explore Scar’s Backstory
Something else we know is that viewers will explore Scar’s story in more depth, at least according to Kelvin Harrison Jr. In an interview that he did with Fandango while promoting Chevalier in April 2023, he revealed that the movie is going to explore Scar’s history and promised that the iconic character is still “spicy” and “hilarious" in his youth:
We’re going to get to really get a backstory to Scar and he is hilarious. He is still very, very spicy. He is also the sweetest, the sweetest young lion you also ever meet, too. So it’s going to be fun seeing the relationship between Scar and Mufasa. So that’s what I can say.
I’m already interested, considering Scar is one of the most iconic Disney villains ever. Jenkins even said in that Entertainment Weekly article that we should expect to see “a ton of familiar faces,” so does that mean we might get to see the hyenas that Scar works with in this? How did that relationship come to be? This already sounds super interesting.
Barry Jenkins Directed The Film
As mentioned, it was announced that Mufasa: The Lion King would be directed by Barry Jenkins. The director is widely known for his movies If Beale Street Could Talk and Moonlight, the latter of which won the Academy Award for Best Picture and along with other Oscars.
Admittedly, Barry Jenkins isn't the first filmmaker I would've envisioned for this movie. But I’m down to see how he crafts this narrative and handles working on a big-budget production after having worked on indie films. Jon Favreau -- of Iron Man and The Jungle Book fame -- directed the 2019 movie, which he was excited about. We'll see how Jenkins follows up on his work.
Hans Zimmer Is Returning To Compose
The last detail we must discuss is the fact that Hans Zimmer will be back as the composer for Mufasa, as confirmed by the same Deadline article that announced Aaron Pierre and Kelvin Harrison Jr.'s castings.
Many film buffs know Hans Zimmer for his iconic scores in movies like Inception, Interstellar, Gladiator and Man of Steel. Of course, he also orchestrated the original Lion King soundtrack. Zimmer also worked on the 2019 live-action remake.
Jenkins did also confirm in that Entertainment Weekly article that we could also “expect musical numbers – really wonderful musical numbers,” but if the songs are half as good as I’m sure this score is going to be, it’ll be awesome.
While the pieces he produced for both films were strong, I'm hoping he changes up the flow a bit for this new movie.
We still have a bit of a wait for this new movie to hit theaters, so here's hoping time flies by. While you're waiting for Mufasa: The Lion King to release, be sure to keep your eyes peeled for further updates.
