Mufasa: The Lion King: New First Look Image Lands for Barry Jenkins Prequel

Barry Jenkins' spin on The Lion King is due to hit theaters this year, and the first look at the film has been circulating on social media.

Serving as both a prequel and a sequel to the 1994 animated film, Mufasa: The Lion King will follow Simba, who - having become king of the Pride Lands - is now determined for his cub to follow his steps. The film will also explore the origins of his late father, Mufasa.

Mufasa: The Lion King is written by the BAFTA-nominated Jeff Nathanson, who also scripted the 2019 "live-action" adaptation of the original 1994 film. His other credits include Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull and Steven Spielberg's Catch Me If You Can.

Barry Jenkins, whose previous films include the Oscar-winning Moonlight and If Beale Street Could Talk, will direct and said to GamesRadar in 2022, "what you'll learn in this story is that Mufasa is great because of the family and friends he has with him".

Aaron Pierre will voice Mufasa, and Kelvin Harrison Jr. will voice Scar. Other cast members include Seth Rogen as Pumbaa, Billy Eichner as Timon and John Kani as Rafiki.

Mufasa: The Lion King is slated for release on December 20, 2024.