Disney’s Mufasa: The Lion King won’t be released until December 2024, but viewers can already see its two stars sharing screen time thanks to their already-released follow-up project. The Lion King live-action adaptation was released in 2019, boasting a star-studded cast and directed by The Mandalorian’s Jon Favreau. Shortly afterward, the prequel was announced, with high expectations set in part thanks to the news that Academy Award-winning filmmaker Barry Jenkins was set to direct.
Mufasa: The Lion King stars Aaron Pierre as a young Mufasa, with Kelvin Harrison Jr. taking on the role of Taka, who is later known as Scar. While filming that project, both Pierre and Harrison took on the respective roles of Malcolm X and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in National Geographic’s Genius: MLK/X docu-drama series. During their interview with Screen Rant about Genius: MLK/X, Pierre and Harrison revealed that they finished out most of their time on the Lion King without discussing the fact that they would soon continue to work together.
According to Aaron Pierre, they only recently realized the peculiar chronology of their projects. 'We were speaking about that today. We just had to do the math and the chronology, and actually, Lion King happened first,' he revealed. Their initial surprise at being cast together in Genius: MLK/X was evident as Kelvin Harrison Jr. added, 'Yeah, we did Lion King first. It was almost, I want to say, a year-and-a-half before, and we were all in different parts of the country. It was just really funny because we spent a lot of time playing lions, and then [the filmmakers behind Genius: MLK/X] came at me and were like, 'Yeah, Aaron Pierre's attached.' I was like, 'Oh my God.''
The fact that they never once discussed their future collaborations while working on The Lion King is quite amusing. Kelvin Harrison Jr. recalled sharing his suspicions with director Barry Jenkins, 'What's really funny is we both signed on, said yes to it, were still doing Lion King, and we never once spoke about it. I kept looking at it. I think I told Barry one day; I was like, 'I'm pretty sure Aaron's doing this show with me, but we have not said anything. Do you know?' He was like, 'What? Y'all are playing who?''
Genius: MLK/X is a very different project from Barry Jenkins’ Lion King prequel, but it offers the chance to witness the acting prowess of both Aaron Pierre and Kelvin Harrison Jr. Although the biographical story of Genius: MLK/X has a specific relevance and importance that a work of pure fiction can’t emulate, the performances turned in by Pierre and Harrison make it easy to get excited about their roles in Jenkins’ movie.
In the Lion King prequel, Harrison has teased Scar’s backstory, particularly the relationship between Scar and Mufasa. This dynamic between the two actors remains a mystery, but the performances in Genius: MLK/X offer a glimpse of their potential on-screen chemistry. While Malcolm X and Dr. King only met once in their lives, Pierre and Harrison only have one scene together in the National Geographic series. Split between the lives of the two men, the show guarantees ample screen time for both actors, hinting at their ability to captivate audiences as Scar and Mufasa. Their powerful performances in Genius: MLK/X build anticipation for their collaboration in Mufasa: The Lion King.
Joining Aaron Pierre and Kelvin Harrison Jr. in Mufasa: The Lion King are returning cast members from Jon Favreau’s film, including Seth Rogen as Pumbaa and Billy Eichner as Timon. While the relationship between Scar and Mufasa will undoubtedly be central to the story of the movie, it will be interesting to see how Pierre and Harrison play off of the returning actors. With the film's release set for December 20, viewers eagerly await the exploration of Mufasa's early days and the development of the strained relationship between Mufasa and Scar.
Mufasa: The Lion King serves as a prequel to the live-action remake of the original Disney animated film, The Lion King. While further plot details remain under wraps, the film is expected to delve into Mufasa and Scar's relationship and shed light on how it became as strained as it did. The return of Timon and Pumbaa, portrayed once again by Billy Eichner and Seth Rogen, adds to the anticipation surrounding the film.
As viewers await the release of Mufasa: The Lion King, they can already witness the talents of Aaron Pierre and Kelvin Harrison Jr. through their captivating performances in Genius: MLK/X. The collision of these two stars holds great promise, and audiences eagerly anticipate the exploration of Scar and Mufasa's complex relationship in the upcoming prequel.
