Director Barry Jenkins teases that his upcoming prequel, Mufasa: The Lion King is more than just a prequel to the 2019 remake.
Back in 2019, The Lion King hit theaters and was met with a somewhat mixed reception from audiences and critics. Dispite this the film went on to earn over $1.6B worldwide, becoming the second highest-grossing film of the year. The next year it was revealed that a new film in the franchise was in development which was eventually revealed to be a prequel that would focus on the rise of Mufasa and his brother Scar.
A Prequel But More?
The prequel would eventually cast Aaron Pierre as Mufasa and Kelvin Harrison Jr. as Scar with its official title being revealed during this year’s D23. While speaking to Entertainment Weekly, the director teased that while the film was technically a prequel to the film, he also teased that something else was going on with the timeline:
“I think you’ll see a ton of familiar faces. It is a prequel, but again, it’s a prequel in the sense that these are all the same characters, but we’re telling you how they came to be who they are. So we’re literally going backward. We’re going back in time with many of these characters. We’re in the present, as well, but we’re also going back to tell who these characters were.”
Here’s the synopsis for Jon Favreau’s The Lion King:
Director Jon Favreau’s all-new “The Lion King” journeys to the African savanna where a future king is born. Simba idolizes his father, King Mufasa, and takes to heart his own royal destiny. But not everyone in the kingdom celebrates the new cub’s arrival. Scar, Mufasa’s brother—and former heir to the throne—has plans of his own. The battle for Pride Rock is ravaged with betrayal, tragedy, and drama, ultimately resulting in Simba’s exile. With help from a curious pair of newfound friends, Simba will have to figure out how to grow up and take back what is rightfully his.
Directed by Jon Favreau, Disney’s The Lion King features the voices talents of Donald Glover as Simba, Beyoncé Knowles-Carter as Nala, James Earl Jones as Mufasa, Chiwetel Ejiofor as Scar, Seth Rogen as Pumbaa, and Billy Eichner as Timon.
Disney’s The Lion King is available on Digital HD, Blu-ray, 4K Ultra HD, and DVD. Meanwhile Mufasa: The Lion King will be released sometime in 2024. Stay tuned for all the latest news on the franchise and be sure to subscribe to Heroic Hollywood’s YouTube channel for more original video content.