Summary

• Aaron Pierre acknowledges the influence of James Earl Jones on his portrayal of Mufasa in The Lion King prequel.
• The new approach to Mufasa will explore his character's development before he becomes the wise king audiences know.
• Mufasa: The Lion King may provide answers to mysteries surrounding Mufasa and Scar's relationship and backstory.

Star Aaron Pierre teases how Mufasa: The Lion King will change the titular lion. The live-action prequel will follow Simba's father in his early days. Portrayed by James Earl Jones in both the original Disney animated movie and its 2019 CGI remake, Pierre will take over as the wise king of the Pride Lands in the prequel. He has previously appeared in M. Night Shyamalan's Old and starred opposite Saoirse Ronan and Paul Mescal in Garth Davis's sci-fi thriller, Foe. Most recently, he played Malcolm X in National Geographic's docu-drama Genius: MLK/X.

Speaking with Collider, Pierre teases the new approach he took towards playing Mufasa in The Lion King prequel. He explains how it might change the way audiences view Mufasa. See what Pierre had to say about his approach for Mufasa: The Lion King below:

"Well, first and foremost, I want to acknowledge that James Earl Jones is an enormous inspiration of mine. Massively. And I feel very honored 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."

What To Expect From Mufasa: The Lion King

Mufasa: The Lion King will feature familiar faces from Disney's 2019 CGI remake. Billy Eichner and Seth Rogen return to reprise their roles as meerkat and warthog duo Timon and Pumbaa, respectively. John Kani also returns as Rafiki, mandrill and shaman to Mufasa. Ironically, Pierre's Genius: MLK/X co-star Kelvin Harrison Jr., who stars opposite of him as Martin Luther King Jr. in the drama, also stars opposite of him as Taka in Mufasa, the lion who grows up to become the villainous Scar.

Jeremy Irons voiced Scar in the original 1994 film, and Chiwetel Ejiofor played him in the 2019 remake, both of which are available to stream on Disney+.

Mufasa has a lot to uncover in the world of The Lion King, and can hopefully answer some questions. Foremost, it will explore Mufasa's youth, perhaps revealing who his and Scar's parents were. In turn, it will uncover how their feud began, and why this led Scar to resent Mufasa, thus leading him down a dark path. It could also explain the unusual alliances between Mufasa and Zazu, and Scar and the hyenas, who are both natural predators, but share a rare bond.

Due to the SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes, Mufasa: The Lion King was delayed to a December 2024 release. However, it's unlikely to achieve the same box office success as its predecessor, 2019's The Lion King, which made $1.6 billion worldwide. Prequels have a track record of struggling to reach the same numbers as their predecessors, and Disney's recent live-action remakes have faltered. However, Mufasa's backstory has always been a mystery to viewers, and as a fan-favorite character, Mufasa: The Lion King could be a surprise hit.

Source: Collider