Diaspora: Kelvin Harrison Jr. & Aaron Pierre to Lead Cast for Disney’s ‘The Lion King’ Prequel; Barry Jenkins is Directing
The prequel will continue with the photorealistic animation technology used in the 2019 remake.
Kelvin Harrison Jr. (Waves, The Trial Of The Chicago 7) and Aaron Pierre (The Underground Railroad) have been cast as leads to voice the untitled prequel of The Lion King.
Production is in progress on the prequel, and Barry Jenkins (Moonlight, The Underground Railroad) will direct, exploring the mythology of the iconic characters, including Mufasa’s origin story.
Pierre will play Mufasa, and Harrison Jr. will play the role of Taka. Additional casting is ongoing.
Jenkins will continue with the photorealistic animation technology that director Jon Favreau used in the blockbuster 2019 remake of the beloved franchise. Jeff Nathanson, who scripted the last instalment, will write.
Per Disney’s reveal at its investor day late last year, music will be coming from Hans Zimmer (who scored the original and 2019 version), Pharrell, and Succession’s Nicholas Britell.
Pierre recently collaborated with Jenkins on The Underground Railroad.
Jenkins won an Oscar for his acclaimed film Moonlight.
Disney’s 2019 remake of The Lion King grossed more than $1.6BN worldwide during its theatrical run to become the highest-grossing animated film of all time, a position previously held by Frozen.
