Disney Sets Title And Release Year of The Prequal To The 'Lion King'

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Washington, September 10 - Two years after the original announcement, Disney has confirmed Mufasa: The Lion King title of the prequel to the 2019 Lion King film at D23. The film will be directed by the acclaimed "Moonlight" director Barry Jenkins.

According to Variety, the prequel tells the origin story of the iconic Disney father, exploring his childhood growing up with his brother Scar. The film will feature the voice of Aaron Pierre and Kelvin Harrison Jr. as younger versions of the characters, filling in for James Earl Jones as Mufasa in both the 1994 original and the 2019 CGI remake, and Jeremy Irons and Chiwetel Ejiofor as the villainous Scar.



In addition to announcing the title, exclusive preview footage of the film was also shown to the audience at the D23 expo. The footage began with Rafiki (John Kani) telling the story of Mufasa to young cubs, revealing that the lion was actually an orphaned cub who had to navigate the world alone until he rose to become the king of Pride Rock.

As such, the film goes beyond the iconic Pride Lands to show him as a cub in a desert, where he is swept away by a flood and becomes an orphan. Although brief, the footage also included narration from Billy Eichner's Timon, in a meta joke tag for the footage: "Wait wait wait, am I not in this story? I don't feel seen".

"The Lion King" has been one of the most loved Disney films of all time, with both, the original and remake grossing over $2.6 billion at the global box office. The original remains a critically acclaimed classic and grossed over $960 million worldwide, followed by $1.66 billion for the remake in 2019. It got mixed reviews but was an even bigger success at the box office.

"Mufasa: The Lion King", scheduled for 2024 release, will be Jenkins's third feature film, after directing the Oscar-winning "Moonlight" and "If Beale Street Could Talk".

Stay tuned...