How “Mufasa: The Lion King” Pays Tribute to Late James Earl Jones 3 Months After His Death

Director Barry Jenkins is revealing how Mufasa: The Lion King honors late actor James Earl Jones.

The new prequel film, about the iconic lion whom Jones voiced in the 1994 animated film, opens on a blank screen as Jones, who died at 93 at his home in New York on Sept. 9, speaks in character as Mufasa.

"Look at the stars," Jones says in the voiceover from the original Lion King. "The great kings of the past look down on us from those stars. So whenever you feel alone, just remember that those kings will always be there to guide you, and so will I."

Text that appears onscreen then reads, "In remembrance of James Earl Jones," before the film begins.

Jenkins, 45, told Entertainment Weekly that while Jones did not record any new voice material for the Mufasa-centric movie, he had pondered honoring Jones' work as part of a larger celebration of the original film's 30th anniversary.

Related: Lupita Nyong'o Recalls Impact of Seeing The Lion King as a Kid: 'Swahili in a Disney Movie … Blew My Mind' (Exclusive)

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"I remember both intellectually preparing myself for that conversation, but emotionally thinking about, 'What am I going to do?' or 'We have to do something for 30 years [the anniversary of the original Lion King],' " Jenkins said.

"I grew up without a father figure. I think for a lot of people this character and that voice is synonymous with this idea of a surrogate father, or at least the example of what a father-son dynamic should be like. I wanted to find a way to honor that."

"I heard his voice," Jenkins added of the voiceover moment. "It just felt like it was something that we had to do." Disney was "absolutely on board" with the idea, Jenkins said, and he made "a gut choice" in deciding to use Jones' "kings of the past" speech from the original film. 

Related: Aaron Pierre, New Voice of Lion King's Mufasa, Previously Said James Earl Jones' Shoes 'Cannot Be Filled' (Exclusive)

Mufasa sees much of the cast of 2019's The Lion King remake reprise their voice roles; Donald Glover, Seth Rogen, Billy Eichner, John Kani and Beyoncé will all reprise their roles as Simba, Pumbaa, Timon, Rafiki and Nala, respectively, while Blue Ivy Carter makes her feature film debut as Kiara, Nala and Simba's daughter.

In this film, Rebel Ridge actor Aaron Pierre portrays a young Mufasa, who strikes up a friendship and brotherly bond with the lion Taka (Kelvin Harrison Jr), who later becomes Scar. Mads Mikkelsen and Thandiwe Newton also lend their voices.

Mufasa: The Lion King is in theaters Dec. 20.

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