Disney has dropped the trailer for Mufasa: The Lion King, its follow-up to the live-action remake of The Lion King, and it finally confirms when this prequel (and semi-sequel) will take place within the franchise’s story timeline. Directed by Moonlight’s Barry Jenkins, Mufasa: The Lion King will fill in the backstory of Simba’s late father, as told by Rafiki. Much like its predecessor, Mufasa will be a photorealistic live-action movie presenting its animated characters as real-looking animals against authentic photographed backdrops of the African savanna.
Mufasa: The Lion King is set to be released on December 20, 2024, so the Mouse House is hoping for a holiday blockbuster. Whereas The Lion King brought back James Earl Jones to provide Mufasa’s voice, Aaron Pierre has been cast to play the younger Mufasa in the prequel. The movie was always touted as a prequel, but the new Mufasa trailer has confirmed exactly when it takes place on The Lion King’s timeline.
Mufasa is shown to be pretty young when the trailer begins, whereas he’s fully grown by the time The Lion King takes place. Male lions have a life expectancy of between 10 and 14 years in the wild (via Discovery), so that’s an average of about 12. Lions are usually in their prime between the ages of five and nine (via Scientific American), which is when they tend to have as many cubs as they can to continue their legacy after their death.
Based on this information – and Mufasa’s appearance in the trailer – then it’s possible to make some educated guesses about the prequel’s timeline. Cubs are under two, and it looks like Mufasa is beginning with its title character as a cub. He’s a fully mature lion in The Lion King and it can be assumed that he’s closer to nine than five based on his size and how well-established he is as a leader. So, the prequel seems to be set around five to eight years before The Lion King – 10 years at the absolute max.
While the trailer seems to be focused mostly on the prequel elements, Mufasa isn’t just a prequel – it has elements of a sequel, too. Donald Glover and Beyoncé are both back to reprise their voice roles as Simba and Nala, respectively, suggesting that the movie will also act as a sequel to The Lion King. It’s possible that the scenes set after the events of The Lion King will merely provide a framing device for the main prequel storyline of Mufasa: The Lion King.
Source: Discovery, Scientific American