On Tuesday, the first trailer for ‘Mufasa’, the prequel to 2019’s ‘The Lion King’, dropped. The prequel tells the origin story of Mufasa and is directed by Barry Jenkins while Jeff Nathanson returns as a screenwriter. The new Disney film features a star cast including Beyoncé, her daughter Blue Ivy Carter, and Donald Glover, with Beyoncé and Glover reprising their roles as Nala and Simba, respectively. Aaron Pierre is playing the young Mufasa and Kelvin Harrison Jr. as the young Scar. Mads Mikkelsen, Thandwide Newton, Lennie James, Keith David and Anika Noni Rose are also set to star with Billy Eichner and Seth Rogen returning as Timon and Pumbaa.
Lin-Manuel Miranda, the writer of the award-winning musical ‘Hamilton’, has been confirmed to write songs for the film. Following the release of ‘The Lion King’, the photorealistic version of Disney’s 1994 animated film, Beyoncé released an album inspired by the film called ‘The Lion King: The Gift’. The album features contributions from African artists.
The film was confirmed a few years ago following the success of the remake, with Jenkins telling Deadline last year: “Having the opportunity to work with Disney on expanding this magnificent tale of friendship, love and legacy while furthering my work chronicling the lives and souls of folk within the African diaspora is a dream come true.” In the clip, Rafiki (John Kani) narrates the story’s “beginning far beyond the mountains and the shadows, on the other side of the light,” which showcases the photorealistic visuals which made the 2019 film so successful.
‘Mufasa: The Lion King’ is set to release in cinemas on December 20
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