Disney's Mufasa Trailer Reveals The Lion King As A Young, Adorable Cub

The savannah is rife with snarls and sibling rivalry following the release of the all-new trailer for "Mufasa: The Lion King," the prequel to Jon Favreau's CGI remake of the beloved Disney classic, "The Lion King." Aaron Pierre is breathing life into the younger version of Mufasa, initially voiced by James Earl Jones in both versions of "The Lion King." Joining him will be Kevin Harrison Jr. as Scar, who was last played by Chiwetel Ejiofor in the box-office-breaking 2019 film.

Supposedly following the story formula of "The Godfather: Part II" ("You broke my heart, Scar. You broke my heart"), "Mufasa" will focus as much on the future father of Simba as his treacherous brother. In an interview with Fandango in April 2023, Harrison revealed that "we're going to get a backstory to Scar. He is hilarious. He is still very, very spicy. He is also the sweetest, the sweetest young lion you'd also ever meet." While that might not be on full display in the teaser, it certainly makes for an exciting challenge for director Barry Jenkins. What will it take to sway audiences onto the side of one of Disney's greatest villains considering what we already know about the dark history of Scar? Well, given the supporting cast, perhaps a warthog and a meerkat might be able to help.

While new voices might be taking on old characters, Billy Eichner and Seth Rogen are reprising their roles as Timon and Pumbaa. Just how they're going to play into the story is unknown. Still, it might be a case of them both somehow stumbling across the story of Mufasa and Scar's younger years or perhaps encountering the little princes with big paws themselves.

Besides this comedic pair making a comeback, John Kani will also be returning as the mandrill shaman of the Pride Lands, Rafiki. Could he be the storyteller who recounts Mufasa and Scar's younger years and be the teacher to these two cubs and the paths they found themselves on? To quote the mandrill himself, "It doesn't matter; it's in the past." We will find out just how the story of "Mufasa: The Lion King" will unfold when it heads into theatres on December 20, 2024.