Featured Image Credit: Disney
Topics: Disney, TV And Film, Beyonce
Rhianna Benson
After months of anticipation, the official trailer for the brand new prequel to Disney's classic The Lion King has landed.
Titled Mufasa: The Lion King, the latest instalment in the much-loved franchise follows the early years of a young Mufasa, before he went on to become King of Pride Rock.
The animated blockbuster features the voices of several huge name stars, including Beyoncé Knowles-Carter and her daughter Blue Ivy Carter, and is set to be released in December this year.
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Directed by Barry Jenkins, it will follow Mufasa's origin story, including his childhood with brother Taka, aka Scar.
With Aaron Pierre and Kelvin Harrison Jr. voicing the younger versions of Mufasa and Scar respectively, many familiar names from the 2019 voice cast are returning, such as John Kani as Rafiki, Seth Rogen as Pumbaa, Billy Eichner as Timon, Donald Glover as Simba.
Beyoncé Knowles-Carter makes a comeback as Nala, while her daughter Blue Ivy debuts as Kiara, the daughter of Simba and Nala.
Speaking about the sequel back in 2021, Jenkins said: “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.”
Hamlet and Moana genius Lin-Manuel Miranda, who is behind the film's songs, said that the franchise had an 'incredible musical legacy' with music from some of the 'greatest songwriters around' - including, of course, none other than Elton John.
“It’s been a joy working alongside Barry Jenkins to bring Mufasa’s story to life, and we can’t wait for audiences to experience this film in theaters," he said.