Hamilton creator Lin-Manuel Miranda has teased a new song he has created for the upcoming Lion King prequel Mufasa.
The composer previewed the catchy track, titled I Always Wanted A Brother, in a clip shown to the audience at Disney’s fan convention, D23.
Oscar-winning filmmaker Barry Jenkins, who directed Mufasa: The Lion King, appeared on stage to introduce “the one and only” Miranda.
“His music has been stuck in all our heads at some point, whether that be Hamilton or Moana or We Don’t Talk About Bruno, and I can say that the songs he’s created for our film are absolutely unbelievable,” Jenkins said.
Miranda said: “I read the screenplay and you think you know Mufasa, you think you know Scar, and I had no idea.
“I could see where the songs went. It was such a joy to be in service of one of our great directors.”
He added: “Everyone else has to wait to see the film in theatres.”
The film, which follows the 2019 photorealistic remake of the 1994 Disney animated classic, will explore the titular lion’s origin story and his childhood with Scar, the main antagonist of the first film.
Long before they became legends, Mufasa and the Prince who would come to be known as Scar, became brothers 🦁 pic.twitter.com/ioND5hsjaz
— Disney UK (@Disney_UK) August 10, 2024
A new trailer for the prequel opens with mandrill Rafiki telling meerkat Timon, warthog Pumbaa and lioness cub Kiara, the daughter of Simba and Nala, the story of how Mufasa and Scar met.
In a flashback, Scar, then known as Taka, can be seen befriending Mufasa, an orphaned cub.
After his father wishes to dismiss Mufasa, Taka argues that he “saved his life” as a flashback clip of a crocodile attacking the cubs is shown.
As the young lion cubs run through fields of grass, Taka tells Mufasa: “I have a secret Mufasa, I always wanted a brother” while a clip of the new song plays in the background.
The two lions are later told to go find their place within “the circle of life” before they encounter another fierce white lion named Kiros, who says: “The circle is broken, there will be one lion king.”
The trailer ends with a series of action shots of the lions getting caught up in battle while the words “experience the epic story of how an orphan became king” are shown.
Aaron Pierre and Kelvin Harrison Jr will voice the younger versions of Mufasa and Scar, respectively.
Beyonce and Jay-Z’s daughter, Blue Ivy Carter, voices the cub Kiara.
The 2019 film featured the voices of Donald Glover as Simba, Beyonce as Nala and Chiwetel Ejiofor as Scar.
Beyonce will also return for the Mufasa film alongside Glover, while Seth Rogen and Billy Eichner will voice Pumbaa and Timon again.
Mufasa: The Lion King is due to be released to cinemas in December.
