WASHINGTON — Disney unveiled the first teaser trailer for "Mufasa: The Lion King," a prequel to the 2019 remake of "The Lion King," on Monday.
The prequel, directed by Barry Jenkins, follows Mufasa's origin story as told by Rafiki — and with the help of Timon and Pumbaa, of course. Through a series of flashbacks, the film shows audiences how Mufasa, an orphaned and lost cub, came to become the Lion King.
Audiences caught a glimpse of a young Scar, the original film's main antagonist, in the new trailer. Scar, a lion prince whose name is Taka, befriends Mufasa in his childhood and accepts the lost cub as a brother.
The prequel features an all-star voice cast, with new and returning actors lending their talents.
Most notably, the trailer reveals that Blue Ivy Carter will voice Kiara, the daughter of King Simba and Queen Nala — voiced by no other than Beyoncé.
Lin-Manuel Miranda is also lending his songwriting abilities for the new film.
"The Lion King has an incredible musical legacy with music from some of the greatest songwriters around, and I’m humbled and proud to be a part of it," Manuel said in a statement. "It’s been a joy working alongside Barry Jenkins to bring Mufasa’s story to life, and we can’t wait for audiences to experience this film in theaters,” Miranda said.
Disney announced plans for a prequel to the live-action remake in 2020, with Jenkins as director.
“Helping my sister raise two young boys during the ’90s, I grew up with these characters,” Jenkins said in a statement at the time. “Having the opportunity to work with Disney on expanding this magnificent tale of friendship, love and legacy while furthering my work chronicling the lives and souls of folk within the African diaspora is a dream come true.”
2019's “The Lion King,” directed by Jon Favreau, featured a voice cast including Donald Glover, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Beyoncé Knowles-Carter, Jon Oliver, Billy Eichner, Seth Rogen and James Earl Jones — who voiced both the 1994 version of Mufasa.
"Mufasa: The Lion King" will arrive in theaters on Dec. 20.
