The Lion King Fans Roar at Leaked First Look at Mufasa Live Action: 'Rather Watch Nat Geo'

Summary:

• Despite a massive backlash from fans, The Lion King live-action remake grossed $1.6 billion
• Now, a sequel is set to release in December 2024
• A leaked "first look" pictures already have fans up in arms

Hardly any fan of the 90s' Lion King asked for a sequel to the live-action Lion King remake, and yet here we are, forced to once again witness the photo-realistic animals talk.

The upcoming nightmare material is titled Mufasa: The Lion King, and no, despite Reddit's "somehow, Mufasa returned" jokes, it won't feature a miraculous resurrection (or so we hope). Instead, this will be a story about Simba's cub who will "follow in his paw prints while the origins of his late father Mufasa are explored."

On the r/MovieLeaksAndRumors subreddit, an alleged "first look" at the sequel appeared, immediately drawing fan reactions ranging from "why God why" to "I'd rather watch a National Geographic documentary."

While the authenticity of the pictures isn't confirmed, they don't look too different from what we've already seen in the first Lion King live-action: the same lion cub is seen in the same landscape — one can't even identify if it's Simba, his cub, or young Mufasa.

By the way, a quick question.

"Is this the one where they call Scar "Scar" even before he gets his scar?" wonders Redditor werkwerk3.

However, the upcoming live-action sequel, surprisingly, has its defenders. For instance, some people are happy that the creators didn't take the easy path and turn the second Lion King animated movie into a live-action, and came up with something original.

"While the lion king remake is a billion dollar movie and was ultimately successful, I will say this concept seems more interesting for a live action take of the lion king than the remake. I hope this turns out well," Redditor Banesmuffledvoice said.

Was The Lion King Live Action Remake Good?

Upon its release in 2019, The Lion King live-action received a mixed reaction. On one hand, critics and old-school fans were furious: why on Earth would someone need a live-action remake of an iconic story that worked perfectly the way it was?

On the other hand, it grossed $1.65 billion worldwide, and currently sits on 88% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, even though its Tomatometer is only 52%. Naturally, the sequel was only a matter of time.

The original 1994 Lion King, however, enjoys a more ubiquitous appreciation: with 92% on Tomatometer and 93% audience score, it still remains a golden classic.

Mufasa: The Lion King will hit theaters on December 20, 2024. Until then, you can rewatch the old cartoons on Disney Plus, or check out the newest live-action there.

Source: Reddit