Disney officially announced the remake prequel to “The Lion King” which is titled “Mufasa: The Lion King.”
In the prequel, Seth Rogen and Billy Eichner will be reprising their voice roles as Pumbaa and Timon respectively. “Mufasa: The Lion King is directed by Barry Jenkins and penned by Jeff Nathanson.
“Well before Simba took his place in the circle of life, another great king ruled over the Pride Lands. This is his story,” head of Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, Sean Bailey informed the mass at the D23 Expo.
“‘Mufasa’ is the origin story of one of the greatest kings in the history of pride lions,” Jenkins added, indicating that the new movie will be made known in various time frames as it changes direction between the present and past.
Mufasa: The Lion King. 2024. pic.twitter.com/IkPMk6IDGR
— Walt Disney Studios (@DisneyStudios) September 9, 2022
Rogen and Eicher who’ll be returning as Pumbaa the warthog and Timon the meerkat previously worked together in 2016 Nicholas Stoller “Bad Neighbours 2: Sorority Rising.” Eichner is also widely recognized for his parts in “Parks And Recreation” and “Difficult People.”
Roger also has his share of experiences when it comes to voice acting. He has previously lent his voice in animated films such as “Kung Fu Panda”, “Monsters vs. Aliens”, and “Sausage Party,” which he co-penned and produced.
A sneak peek of “Mufasa: The Lion King” was displayed to the crowd at D23. However, it is not available to view online. According to Variety, the sneak peek showed Rafiki (by John Kani) “telling the story of Mufasa to young cubs, revealing that the lion was actually an orphaned cub who had to navigate the world alone until he rose to become the king of Pride Rock. As such, the film goes beyond the iconic Pride Lands to show him as a cub in a desert, where he is swept away by a flood and becomes an orphan.”
Further explaining, “In this place a lion was born without a drop of nobility in his blood. The lion who would change our lives forever.”
Timon (by Eichner) jokingly adds, “Wait wait wait, am I not in this story? I don’t feel seen.”
The other cast members also include Aaron Pierre and Kelvin Harrison Jr. as Mufasa and Scar respectively. While the last film was a renarration of the initial cartoon, ‘Mufasa: The Lion King’ will be illustrating younger interpretations of these characters to indicate new input about them.
“Mufasa was actually an orphaned cub who had to navigate the world alone by himself, and in telling this story, we get to experience the real journey of how Mufasa found his place in the circle of life,” director Barry Jenkins stated.
