First ‘Mufasa’ Trailer Reveals a ‘Lion King’ Prequel From Barry Jenkins | Video

The first teaser for “Mufasa” is taking “Lion King” fans back to the beginning — the very beginning, before Mufasa was even king.

In this story, Rafiki is telling the story of Mufasa to his future granddaughter, Kiara, first introduced in the animated sequel “Lion King II: Simba’s Pride.” Of course, he’ll still have some help from Timon and Pumbaa.

You can watch the first teaser for “Mufasa” in the video above.

Directed by Barry Jenkins, the movie will take place almost entirely in flashbacks. It introduces Mufasa as an orphaned cub, lost and alone in the jungle until he meets a lion named Taka, the heir to a royal bloodline. Diehard Disney fans will remember that the book “A Tale of Two Brothers” revealed that Taka is the birth name of Scar, Mufasa’s brother.

“Mufasa” brings songwriter Lin-Manuel Miranda back to Disney once more, as he’ll write the film’s songs, producing them alongside Mark Mancina. The soundtrack with include additional music and performances by Lebo M.

“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.

“‘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.”

“Mufasa” boasts a heavy-hitting voice cast, with Aaron Pierre as Mufasa, Kelvin Harrison Jr. as Taka, Mads Mikkelsen as Kiros, a formidable lion with big plans for his pride, Thandiwe Newton, Anika Noni Rose, Keith David and more.

Donald Glover and Beyoncé return as Simba and Nala respectively, and the film will also mark the acting debut of Beyoncé’s daughter Blue Ivy Carter. She’ll be lending her voice to Kiara, Simba and Nala’s daughter.

“Mufasa” hits theaters on December 20, 2024.

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