Skip to main content
News

The Lion King prequel will show Mufasa's journey to becoming king

The live-action movie will not feature James Earl Jones as Mufasa.
Alex Hopley Editor UK 5 February 2024

Mufasa is one of the most iconic Disney parents of all time. Even without much in terms of screen time, he left a huge impression on kids and made his death scene one of the saddest in any animated movie.

Now, he's getting the prequel treatment. Mufasa: The Lion King will star Aaron Pierre, who recently spoke with Collider about how his performance will be different.

"Well, first and foremost, I want to acknowledge that James Earl Jones is an enormous inspiration of mine," Pierre said. "I feel very honoured to be walking into this role after him. I think the key difference will be that here we're exploring Mufasa in a different capacity. When Sir James Earl Jones portrayed him, this is Mufasa in his full capacity, in his rhythm, and I think here we're exploring Mufasa prior to that point. What does this young lion look like before he is who we know him as, and he is discovering his rhythm, how he conducts himself, how he engages with his community and his loved ones? So, I think that's the key thing. It's figuring it out."

It'll be weird hearing Mufasa without the booming tones of James Earl Jones, but even if this movie seems unnecessary, it's almost certain to draw crowds.

Will you be watching The Lion King prequel?

Editor UK Alex Hopley covered the video game industry for Gamereactor, from new announcements and launches to the business behind them. He also wrote on tech, film and entertainment, and his coverage wasn't tied to any one region.
Full profile Gamereactor author since 2023 · 9,411 published articles
Why trust Gamereactor
23 Editions Each with its own newsroom and its own scores.
1998 Publishing since Independently owned for the whole of it.
100% Hands-on Written from time with the game, never press material.
1–10 Network Score Every edition’s score, averaged and shown.