By: Olivia Ong
Disney’s upcoming prequel for The Lion King finally casts its Mufasa and Scar.
Aaron Pierre, known for his role in The Underground Railroad, will be voicing young Mufasa while Kelvin Harrison Jr., who starred in shows like Waves and The Trial of the Chicago 7, will be playing young Taka who was the original character for Scar. Disney is yet to confirm the remaining cast members that will bring the other characters to life, but the film will most likely bring in big names in the industry.
The untitled prequel, to be directed by Moonlight director Barry Jenkins, will expand further the mythology surrounding the characters of the franchise and the origin story of Mufasa. There is further speculation that the use of Scar’s original character name means that the prequel will follow the Disney’s children book A Tale of Two Brothers, where Rafiki tells Simba’s son a story about Mufasa and Scar.
And with the success of the 2019 live-action film directed by Jon Favreau, the prequel will also be following the photorealistic animation that was used in the remake. Jeff Nathanson will also be returning as the scriptwriter from the 2019 blockbuster, along with Hans Zimmer who blessed us with the music scoring of both the original animated movie and the 2019 film.
“Helping my sister raise two young boys during the ’90s, I grew up with these characters. 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.” said Jenkins.
The Lion King prequel is the newest installment in the series after Disney’s 2019 remake that earned more than $1.6B during its theatrical run worldwide. The release date has not been set yet for this anticipated movie so stay tuned for more updates!