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Disney has added another film to their most successful franchise, The Lion King – this time following Mufasa’s journey from a cub to becoming the king of Pride Rock.

Inspired by the 1994 animation, the latest addition is a live-action feature and is directed by Moonlight filmmaker Barry Jenkins.

Before heading to your nearest cinema, here are six things you need to know about the film and don’t worry, there are no spoilers.

What is Mufasa: The Lion King about?

Mufasa is synonymous with one of the most heart-breaking moments of any Disney film but apart from being Simba’s dad and Scar’s brother, there’s little fans know about him.

In this prequel film, we follow Mufasa as a young cub who gets lost and meets a sympathetic lion cub, and heir to a royal bloodline, named Taka.

This meeting sets the wheels in motion for the future king, and we go on his journey to meet his soon-to-be wife Sarabi and friends.

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Do I need to watch The Lion King to understand Mufasa: The Lion King?

Not necessarily but it is a major reference point throughout the film.

In the new live-action sequel, we met some of the “great kings of the past” first mentioned in the 1994 original.

Mufasa: The Lion King. Pic: ©Disney
Image:
Mufasa: The Lion King. Pic: ©Disney

The story is told through flashbacks as Rafiki tells Simba’s daughter Kiara about the “circle of life” and why it’s important to “remember who you are”.

The choice to do so makes it easier for young minds to follow along but if you want the full experience and to understand the non-stop references to the original, re-watching either the animation, 2019 live-action film or the musical would be a good idea.

Tiffany Boone, who voices a young Sarabi (Simba’s mum), says her opinion on Scar has slightly changed after being part of the new movie.

She tells Sky News: “I think I empathise with Scar a lot more than I did before. I’m not saying he’s right to do what he did in the original version but you understand how the relationship between Mufasa and Scar got to the point where it’s so contentious and so I now have a little bit of a softer spot in my heart for Scar.”

Mufasa: The Lion King
Image:
Mufasa: The Lion King. Pic: ©Disney

Who stars in Mufasa: The Lion King?

Mufasa: The Lion King is led by Croydon actor Aaron Pierre, who has previously starred in Rebel Ridge as well as Genius and Foe.

He says stepping into the role of Mufasa has been a “huge honour” and hopes he does James Earl Jones justice as the younger version of his character.

The actor posed for photos on Pride Rock at the UK premiere – a moment he says he won’t forget.

“That was really special. The London premiere was just so beautiful. London showed up and with all of the beautiful energy and they celebrated, and they just poured love into that evening.”

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Taka is played by Kelvin Harrison Jr and a young Sarabi is voiced by Tiffany Boone.

While the daughter of Beyonce and Jay-Z, Blue Ivy Carter, voices Kiara, the daughter of King Simba.

Other voices include Mads Mikkelsen as Kiros, Kagiso Lediga as a young Rafiki and Preston Nyman as a young Zazu.

In order to set up the film as a flashback, the 2019 voices return briefly – Donald Glover, Beyonce Knowles-Carter, John Kani, John Oliver, Seth Rogan and Billy Eichner.

Mufasa: The Lion King. Pic: ©Disney
Image:
Mufasa: The Lion King. Pic: ©Disney

Is James Earl Jones in Mufasa: The Lion King?

Seen as a father figure by many, the death of James Earl Jones marked a sad day for movie fans all over the world.

The Star Wars actor originated the strong, stoic voice of Mufasa in the 1994 animation and reprised the role for the 2019 live-action remake.

Jenkins made the decision to dedicate the entire film to the star and his voice briefly appears as a somewhat ‘voice of God’ at the beginning of the new film.

Opening with a black screen, you hear Jones’s voice uttering his advice to Simba: “Look at the stars. 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.”

Mufasa: The Lion King. Pic: ©Disney
Image:
Mufasa: The Lion King. Pic: ©Disney

Is it safe for children to watch Mufasa: The Lion King?

The film has received a PG rating in the UK so it is safe for everyone to watch.

However, much like the original, it is worth approaching with caution as there’s a scene or two that might be a bit scary and/or emotional for younger viewers.

Who made the music for Mufasa: The Lion King?

The musical man of the moment – Lin-Manuel Miranda – is responsible for the soundtrack to Mufasa: The Lion King.

Jenkins says watching him work taught him so much as a creative person.

“Typically, in a musical, the songs come first and the movie folds around it. But in this case, because Lin was so busy directing Tick Tick Boom and working on Encanto so we got started before he came in and it was really wonderful to see him look at the script and sort of diagnose where songs could elevate the narrative rather than just distract from it,” says Jenkins.

“And the song I Always Wanted A Brother was a great example. Lin watched a very early animatic and right away identified that’s the song [for this section], and it’s one of my favourite pieces in the film.”

Mufasa: The Lion King is in cinemas now.

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‘We may see more things coming out’: BBC chief quizzed by MPs about talent ‘scandal’

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'We may see more things coming out': BBC chief quizzed by MPs about talent 'scandal'

BBC director-general Tim Davie has told MPs that “we may see more things coming out” after being asked for assurance there will not be another “scandal of BBC talent abusing their position”.

He told the Culture, Media and Sport Committee: “I think things have changed since we last talked to the committee, we are seeing people call it out, and that is a positive change, but it’s ongoing work.

“I don’t think you can change culture in six months and suddenly say nothing’s going to occur.

“We may see more things coming out, because in some ways I’m asking for it, and being utterly transparent and running towards the problem, that’s what we need to do.”

Mr Davie, who was joined by BBC chair Samir Shah on Tuesday, faced questions on subjects including the corporation’s Gaza documentary, its Glastonbury coverage and the recent Gregg Wallace investigation, as well as this year’s Strictly Come Dancing line-up.

The BBC has faced a series of recent controversies, most prominently the sacking of MasterChef presenter Greg Wallace after claims of inappropriate behaviour.

Presenter John Torode was later axed from the show after an allegation that he used an “extremely offensive racist term”.

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On Monday, it was announced that restaurant critic Grace Dent and Irish chef Anna Haugh will be fronting the forthcoming series.

Gregg Wallace. Pic: NetStorage
Image:
Gregg Wallace. Pic: NetStorage


‘No one is irreplaceable – absolutely no one’

On the question of top talent being treated as irreplaceable, Mr Shah said: “No one is irreplaceable. Absolutely no one, seriously, no one”.

Mr Davie added: “We’re all dispensable. That’s an absolute, unequivocal position being given to the whole BBC.”

He also stressed: “We don’t call them talent… Everyone is talent.”

When asked about the decision to air the latest series of MasterChef, with Wallace and Torode still at the helm, Mr Davie said it was “a tough call,” but insisted it was the right decision “on balance” because the “vast majority” of contestants wanted the programme to go out.

Mr Davie added: “I think the consequences for the individuals who presented have been very significant. They no longer work with the BBC.”

The corporation also found itself in hot water in July after it breached its editorial guidelines over a Gaza documentary that was narrated by the child of a Hamas official.

Gaza: How To Survive A Warzone aired on the BBC in February but was pulled from iPlayer after it emerged that the child narrator was the son of Ayman Alyazouri, who has worked as Hamas’s deputy minister of agriculture.

Mr Davie called the broadcast of the documentary, which was made by independent production company Hoyo Films, “a bad mistake,” and said BBC had “executed the recommendations,” adding, “There are people who are facing consequences.”

When asked about Israel refusing to allow journalists into Gaza, Mr Davie said it was “unacceptable,” calling coverage of the Israel-Hamas war, “the toughest coverage challenge we have ever faced”.

BBC accused of ‘disrespect’ over Gaza: Doctors Under Attack

A second documentary was also discussed, Gaza: Doctors Under Attack, which was commissioned by the BBC but subsequently shelved. It was eventually aired by Channel 4 in July.

It was suggested the corporation had been “overcautious” in their decision not to air the film, an accusation Mr Davie denied. He said the BBC have a different set of guidelines to Channel 4.

Labour MP for Ealing Central and Acton, Dr Rupa Huq, claimed the documentary was recently “the most asked about thing” at a recent BBC all-staff meeting, and called the corporation’s treatment of the film: “A disrespect for small, independent work done with integrity that you sit on it for months, give some spurious reason and another channel covers it.”

Bob Vylan performing on the West Holts Stage. Pic: PA
Image:
Bob Vylan performing on the West Holts Stage. Pic: PA

Bob Vylan’s Glastonbury set: ‘We’re not broadcasting this guy’

In June, the livestreaming of the controversial Bob Vylan set at Glastonbury, when the band led chants of “death to the IDF (Israel Defence Forces),” led the BBC to announce it would stop broadcasting “high risk” performances live.

When questioned about Vylan’s controversial set, Mr Davie insisted, “I don’t think I misread [the situation]”.

He said the Vylan performance was “absolutely an antisemitic broadcast,” was “deeply disturbing” and admitted “the BBC made a very significant mistake”.

Describing the situation as it played out, Mr Davie said when he became aware of the issue at around 5pm on the afternoon of the live broadcast, his approach was “very quick,” and he said, “Get it off on demand, we’re not broadcasting this guy”. He added, “I think I did the right thing”.

Speaking to the decision of BBC staff to continue broadcasting the set despite the chants, Mr Davie said he had to be “proportionate” in his judgement following an ongoing investigation but said there will be “consequences for individuals that we’re working through at the moment.”

Irish rap trio Kneecap appeared on the same stage directly after Bob Vylan and led the Glastonbury audience in “Free Palestine” chants, but their set was not streamed live.

Thomas Skinner. Pic: PA
Image:
Thomas Skinner. Pic: PA

Davie on Strictly casting backlash: ‘We’ve cut the list down too far’

When asked about another editorial production call – the decision to cast ex-Apprentice contestant Tom Skinner on this year’s Strictly Come Dancing – Mr Davie said it was “not my decision” and that he “was not an expert on the individual per se”.

Mr Davie said it was decided by “the production team,” who “thought [Skinner] would be interesting to the audience”.

Skinner, who now has a large social media following, has previously shared posts saying it is “not far-right” to be “flying your flag and loving your country”, and complaining “it ain’t safe out there anymore” in London.

Mr Davie said: “I think it’s fine to cast an individual as long as they’re within boundaries”.

When asked what those boundaries were, he said: “If someone has broadcast things that are totally unacceptable [and] racist, you know, we don’t want anywhere near our shows. That’s obvious. That’s what our [production] team have to judge.”

He added: “I don’t think it’s right to say, ‘We won’t have anyone who’s ever said anything that you either disagree with is slightly controversial on social media’. I don’t think that works, frankly. I just think we’ve cut the list down too far nowadays”.

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Rupert Murdoch’s son Lachlan takes control of family media empire, including Fox News and Wall Street Journal

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Rupert Murdoch's son Lachlan takes control of family media empire, including Fox News and Wall Street Journal

The Murdoch family have reached a deal which will see Rupert Murdoch’s son Lachlan cement control of the family media empire that includes Fox News and The Wall Street Journal.

The agreement ends a battle over who will control one of the highest-profile global media groups.

The dispute is thought to have been one of the inspirations for the television series Succession, about the infighting of the members of a media dynasty.

Under the deal, Rupert’s children James Murdoch, Elisabeth Murdoch and Prudence MacLeod will sell their personal holdings in Fox and News Corp over a period of six months.

Rupert Murdoch (C) with his sons Lachlan (L) and James (R) pictured in 2016. Pic: Reuters
Image:
Rupert Murdoch (C) with his sons Lachlan (L) and James (R) pictured in 2016. Pic: Reuters

In return, they are each expected to receive about $1.1bn (£810m) in proceeds, according to a source.

Fox Corp said on Monday it had reached a mutual resolution, putting an end to all legal proceedings.

A new family trust will be created to benefit Lachlan Murdoch, and his younger siblings Grace and Chloe Murdoch, who are Rupert’s children from his marriage to Wendi Deng Murdoch.

A battle over the global television and publishing empire had played out last year in a Nevada courtroom, where a judge considered the contentious matter of succession.

James (L) and Elisabeth Murdoch (R) arriving at a court in Nevada in September 2024, to challenge an attempt to change the terms of the family's trust. Pic: Reuters
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James (L) and Elisabeth Murdoch (R) arriving at a court in Nevada in September 2024, to challenge an attempt to change the terms of the family’s trust. Pic: Reuters

Rupert, 94, attempted to change the terms of the family’s trust, which was set up after his 1999 divorce from his second wife, Anna.

The trust holds significant stakes in Fox News parent Fox and Wall Street Journal owner News Corp.

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Under the original trust, News Corp and Fox voting shares would have been transferred to Rupert’s four oldest children – Prudence, Elisabeth, Lachlan, and James – upon his death.

But Rupert had proposed an amendment to the trust after he feared that three of his heirs, James, Elisabeth and Prudence, could mount a coup to oust Lachlan, who is executive chairman of Fox and chairman of News Corp.

A court rejected that plan in December, saying Rupert and Lachlan had acted in “bad faith” in seeking to amend the irrevocable trust.

Mr Murdoch launched Sky, which includes Sky News, in 1989. In 2018, 21st Century Fox sold their 39% stake in the firm to Comcast.

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Olivia Colman, Javier Bardem, Tilda Swinton among 1,300 filmmakers to boycott Israeli film companies

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Olivia Colman, Javier Bardem, Tilda Swinton among 1,300 filmmakers to boycott Israeli film companies

Olivia Colman, Javier Bardem, Susan Sarandon and Tilda Swinton are among more than 1,300 filmmakers who are refusing to work with Israeli film companies they say are “implicated in genocide” in Gaza.

Screenwriters, producers, actors and directors have signed a pledge created by Film Makers for Palestine in the latest show of celebrities speaking out against the humanitarian situation in Gaza.

They will boycott Israeli film institutions and companies, which they say are “implicated in genocide and apartheid against the Palestinian people”.

Some of the biggest names in film have signed the pledge, Riz Ahmed, Miriam Margolyes, Juliet Stevenson and Ken Loach also among them.

Writer-directors such as The Lobster director Yorgos Lanthimos and British filmmaker Asif Kapadia, who made documentaries Senna, Amy and Diego Maradona, and producers such as two-time BAFTA winner James Wilson and Tinker, Tailor, Soldier Spy producer Robyn Slovo have also signed the pledge.

The Crown actress Olivia Colman has signed the pledge. Pic: PA
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The Crown actress Olivia Colman has signed the pledge. Pic: PA

Palme d’Or and BAFTA-winning producer Rebecca O’Brien, who produced I, Daniel Blake with Ken Loach, told Sky News: “For decades, Israeli festivals, broadcasters, and production companies have played their role in masking and justifying Israel’s system of apartheid and its war crimes – some through direct government partnerships.

“I refuse to let my work be used to whitewash a genocide.”

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Israel has repeatedly said its actions in Gaza are justified as a means of self-defence and denied they amount to genocide.

After the world’s leading association of genocide scholars, the International Association of Genocide Scholars, declared Israel is committing genocide in Gaza last week, the Israeli foreign ministry said it was based on “Hamas lies” and poor research.

Susan Sarandon, here at a pro-Palestinian rally in New York, has made the pledge. Pic: AP
Image:
Susan Sarandon, here at a pro-Palestinian rally in New York, has made the pledge. Pic: AP

The boycott pledge urges the industry to “refuse silence, racism, and dehumanisation and to do everything humanly possible to end complicity in their oppression”.

The declaration was inspired by Filmmakers United Against Apartheid, founded by award-winning filmmakers Martin Scorsese and Jonathan Demme in 1987, which led to more than 100 prominent filmmakers refusing to screen their films in apartheid South Africa.

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The pledge is just the latest show of support for Gazans and against their treatment by Israel from celebrities.

In May, Sky News exclusively reported a letter signed by more than 300 famous names urging Sir Keir Starmer to “end UK complicity” in Gaza.

Benedict Cumberbatch, Annie Lennox, Gary Lineker and Dua Lipa were among the public figures joining leading doctors, academics, campaign groups and a Holocaust survivor.

Bond villain Javier Bardem has also signed
Image:
Bond villain Javier Bardem has also signed

In June, more celebrities added their names to the letter to try to push the government to act after they said nothing had changed.

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At the time, a UK government spokesman said it “strongly” opposes Israel’s military expansion in Gaza and called on the Israeli government to “cease its offensive and immediately allow for unfettered access to humanitarian aid”.

The spokesman also said the government suspended export licences to Israel last year “for items used in military operations in Gaza” and called for a ceasefire agreement.

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Israeli PM speaks after Jerusalem attack

More than 64,000 Palestinians have been killed in the Strip since the war began, Hamas-run Gaza health authorities say.

The war was sparked by Hamas’s attack on Israel, when militants killed 1,200 people and took around 250 hostages.

Of the 48 hostages still held in Gaza, 20 are believed to still be alive.

Over the past few weeks, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) have been preparing to intensify the war after the government vowed to gain full military control of Gaza to defeat Hamas.

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