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The Lion King 2 is in the works at Disney, with Barry Jenkins helming the follow-up to 2019’s live-action remake. Here’s what to know about it.


  • Mufasa - The Lion King Poster

Mufasa: The Lion King will continue the beloved Disney franchise and there are some exciting Mufasa prequel updates that show the movie is moving along nicely. Following the success of Jon Favreau’s 2019 live-action remake of The Lion King, Oscar winner Barry Jenkins will direct this Mufasa prequel that will look at Simba’s father before he became king of Pride Rock as well as the beginning of his intense relationship with his brother Scar.


Serving as a live-action version of the beloved 1994 animated classic, The Lion King became Disney’s biggest remake yet when it debuted in 2019, grossing $1.6 billion worldwide despite mixed reviews, so it wasn’t surprising that Disney is continuing the franchise. Disney’s live-action remakes have been a huge hit for the studio over the past decade, at a time when several of their own original franchise attempts have struggled, so it makes sense to instead turn these lucrative properties into franchises themselves. Both Guy Ritchie’s Aladdin 2 and The Jungle Book 2 have previously been reported to be in the works, but it looks as though Mufasa: The Lion King will beat them all to the big screen with some big updates for the upcoming movie.

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Mufasa: The Lion King – Latest News

Mufasa and Simba in The Lion King (2019)

The movie was presented as part of 2022’s Disney Expo where fans got plenty of exciting Mufasa prequel updates. The biggest news to come out of the event was the new title for the movie, Mufasa: The Lion King. It is a clever way of ensuring that fans know what franchise this is a part of even if it isn’t a direct sequel to The Lion King but unlike the somewhat awkwardly titled Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, this title also feels entirely necessary for the movie as it prepares fans for the rise of Mufasa in becoming the king of lions. Along with this intriguing title, fans were treated to the release date of July 5, 2024.

Mufasa: The Lion King Release Date

Simba sits on a rock in The Lion King

The recent Mufasa prequel updates reveal that the movie is certainly on its way with a July 5, 2024 release date. This was announced alongside several other upcoming Disney movies at the 2022 Disney Expo.

Mufasa: The Lion King – Cast

Mufasa and Baby Simba in The Lion King 2019

The Mufasa prequel updates the cast of the main character with some new voice actors to play their younger versions. While James Earl Jones played Mufasa in both the original animated The Lion King and its live-action remake, the role of young Mufasa will be passed on to Aaron Pierre. Likewise, after Jeremy Irons played Scar in the original and Chiwetel Ejiofor in the remake, Kelvin Harrison Jr. will take over as the younger Scar for the prequel. Though this movie takes place mostly before the events of The Lion King, Timon and Pumbaa will narrate the movie with Seth Rogen and Bill Eichner returning to voice them. John Kani is also confirmed to be returning as Rafiki while director Barry Jenkins has hinted that there will be other familiar characters featured in the prequel.

Mufasa: The Lion King – Story Details

Though specific details of the story have been kept out of the Mufasa prequel updates, it is known that the movie will be, at least in part, a prequel focused on Mufasa’s backstory. It’s likely that any such story would include his early life at Pride Rock, including his relationship with Scar and how the two brothers became great rivals, as well as perhaps further fleshing out the story of how Scar gets his scar. It can also show Mufasa developing a relationship with Sarabi, and presumably him being crowned King.

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The new Lion King movie is not just a prequel according to director Barry Jenkins and it has been suggested that the movie’s story will be told in a similar way to The Godfather Part II‘s, with the two timelines being told parallel to each other. This means that the movie could give a glimpse at Simba’s new position as king of Pride Rock while also showing how his father ascended to that role.

Mufasa: The Lion King Trailer

Mufasa Remade

The first trailer for the Mufasa prequel has not yet been released to the public, but the first footage was shown exclusively at the 2022 Disney Expo event. The footage was reported to include narration by Rafifki about the life of Mufasa as well as showing how young Mufasa was swept away from his family by a flood. There has been no word on the footage being released online. The first teaser for the live-action The Lion King was first released in November 2018 ahead of its July 2019 release. By that standard, it is possible fans will see the first official trailer by the end of 2023.

Next: The Lion King 2019’s Biggest Changes To The Original Animation

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