Watch the Trailer for 'The Lion King' Prequel, 'Mufasa: The Lion King'

By Dustin Rowles | Film | April 29, 2024 |

By Dustin Rowles | Film | April 29, 2024 |

In 2019, the live-action adaptation of The Lion King earned $1.6 billion at the box office. There was no way they were just going to leave that alone. To be fair, the story of Mufasa is ripe for a prequel. And the first trailer for the film, which comes out in December, is beautiful, and I’m sure it will be hypnotic in IMAX.

And yet … I dunno. I think that superhero fatigue has extended into franchise and sequel fatigue. But I’m probably wrong. I’m no longer forced to watch kid movies, so I don’t have my finger on the pulse of what parents are willing to sit through. Also, everything is better than The Emoji Movie, and I sat through that because we’ll do anything for our kids. I’m sure that Mufasa: The Lion King is going to put up another $1 billion.

Told to Simba’s cubs by Rafiki in flashbacks, the “story introduces Mufasa as an orphaned cub, lost and alone until he meets a sympathetic lion named Taka—the heir to a royal bloodline. The chance meeting sets in motion an expansive journey of an extraordinary group of misfits searching for their destiny—their bonds will be tested as they work together to evade a threatening and deadly foe.” One of those cubs is played by Beyoncé’s daughter, Blue Ivy Carter.

Barry Jenkins directs. Yes, the Moonlight guy. Based on his directing output over the last few years, he’s spent most of his time on this.

Mufasa: The Lion King opens on December 20th against Sonic the Hedgehog 3.