We all heard the news Jackie shared yesterday of the live-action features that were shared at D23, where several long-awaited films were showcased. We weren’t expecting that that list would include a new Lion King prequel that would detail the life of the father character from the original, Mufasa.
I’m a little confused here as although the voice of James Earl Jones will be the voiceover to my life indefinitely, thanks to seeing this movie in my formative years, Mufasa wasn’t exactly the most compelling of characters. Sure, he was stoic and legendary, not to mention his death scene traumatized me for life like any good Disney movie could prior to the year 2000, but nothing profound that I thought really required an origin story. Now Scar, on the other hand? That is one messed up dude, and I wouldn’t mind learning how exactly he got to be so spiteful.
Scar, sadistic crazy-pants uncle (sort of, but not really uncle— according to Rob Minkoff), definitely has a story to tell, and I, for one, want to watch it. How exactly did that evil guy end up so far away from the family traits of loyalty and respect? What led to him playing house in a den full of bones with a pack of hench-hyenas? Something isn’t adding up here.
Mufasa is expected to be in theatres in 2024. Who else would prefer to take a Cruella-style look into the villain’s back story instead?
