We
finally
got
our
first
look
at
director
Barry
Jenkins’
(Moonlight,
If
Beale
Street
Could
Talk)
The
Lion
King
prequel,
Mufasa,
and
learned
that,
like
the
first
film,
it
will
boast
some
serious
star
power.
Monday
(April
29),
GMA
premiered
the
teaser
trailer
for
Mufasa,
the
prequel
to
2019’s
polarizing
live-action
adaption
of
the
classic
Disney
animated
film
The
Lion
King.
The
trailer
gives
us
our
first
look
at
the
entirely
CGI
film,
which
will
bring
back
those
eerily
realistic
lions
and
other
animals
native
to
the
savannahs
of
Africa.
The
teaser
is
narrated
by
Rafiki
(John
Kani)
and
brings
back
the
same
beats
from
the
previous
film,
like
a
stampede
and
lion
cubs
jumping
on
other
animals,
like
hippos.
It
also
teases
a
new
location,
with
a
pride
of
lions
chilling
on
a
snowy
mountain
peak.
The
trailer’s
narrator
hints
at
Mufasa’s
rise
to
becoming
the
Lion
King
we
met
in
the
first
film
by
saying,
“A
lion
was
born
without
a
drop
of
nobility
in
his
blood,”
and
becoming
“A
lion
who
would
change
our
lives
forever.”
Like
The
Lion
King,
Mufasa
Boasts
Some
Serious
Star
Power
As
for
the
cast,
returning
to
lend
their
voice
talent
are
Kani
as
Rafiki,
Seth
Rogen
as
Pumbaa,
Billy
Eichner
as
Timon,
Donald
Glover
as
Simba,
and
Beyoncé
Knowles-Carter
as
Nala.
Newcomers
for
Jenkin’s
brand-new
vision
will
be
Aaron
Pierre
voicing
Mufasa,
previously
voiced
by
the
iconic
James
Earl
Jones
in
previous
movies,
as
well
as
“Kelvin
Harrison
Jr.
as
Taka,
a
lion
prince
with
a
bright
future
who
accepts
Mufasa
into
his
family
as
a
brother;
Tiffany
Boone
as
Sarabi;
and
Mads
Mikkelsen
as
Kiros,
a
formidable
lion
with
big
plans
for
his
pride,”
GMA
reports.
The
name
grabbing
all
the
headlines
is
Blue
Ivy
Carter,
who
will
make
her
Hollywood
debut
as
Kiara,
the
daughter
of
King
Simba
and
Queen
Nala.
The
official
synopsis
for
the
film
puts
Blue
Ivy’s
Kiara
at
the
center
of
the
story
as
she
will
be
hearing
the
story
of
Mufasa’s
rise
to
the
throne
through
the
words
of
Rafiki,
as
the
film
will
center
around
flashbacks.
Official
Synopsis:
“Mufasa:
The
Lion
King”
enlists
Rafiki
to
relay
the
legend
of
Mufasa
to
young
lion
cub
Kiara,
daughter
of
Simba
and
Nala,
with
Timon
and
Pumbaa
lending
their
signature
schtick.
Told
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.
Could
we
see
a
young
EGOT
in
the
making?
Maybe
so.
The
gallery
below
shows
reactions
to
Mufasa:
The
Lion
King’s
first
trailer
and
Blue
Ivy
Carter’s
casting.