- Upcoming prequel to The Lion King focuses on Mufasa’s rise to become king
- But new detail casts doubt on Mufasa and whether he is the hero
- Mufasa: The Lion King comes to theaters on December 20
The upcoming Lion King prequel, which focuses on the origin story of Mufasa, seems to be changing the dynamic between Mufasa and Scar.
Relationship change
Mufasa: The Lion King, which is set to hit theaters in December, is a musical that tells the story of how Mufasa – Simba’s father – rose to become king of the Pride Lands of Tanzania. It will also show how Mufasa and Scar came to hate each other so much.
In the original 1994 film, Mufasa was king, and it was clear he was royalty, but there was no further exploration of his back story.
At the D23 event, it was revealed that Musafa and Scar are not brothers. It had long assumed they were siblings, as Scar was referred to as Simba’s uncle and, therefore, had a claim to the throne when Mufasa was deposed.
But trailers show that Mufasa was actually an orphan, who was taken in as a cub by Scar’s family. If this is the case, then Scar would be the true heir to the Pride Lands.
This detail raises plenty of questions, including where Mufasa came from, how he became king and what happened between him and Scar to drive such a wedge between them.
Stellar cast
Mufasa: The Lion King has a stellar voice cast including Aaron Pierre, Seth Rogen, Billy Eichner, Donald Glover, Beyonce Knowles-Carter and others. Barry Jenkins is directing the film.
Meanwhile Lin-Manuel Miranda is writing the original songs for the film, one of which was revealed at D23 to be called ‘I Always Wanted a Brother’.
