Mufasa: The Lion King pays tribute to the late James Earl Jones, the iconic voice of Mufasa in the original 1994 film and its 2019 remake, ahead of its December 20 release. Jones passed away on September 9, 2024.
Although the legendary actor didn’t record new material before his passing, the film still honours his memory. The movie opens with Jones’ renowned speech as Mufasa, first delivered in the 1994 Disney animated classic, set against a black backdrop.
“Look at the stars,” his voice echoes, as he explains how “the great kings of the past” constantly watch over us. “Whenever you feel alone, just remember…those kings will always be there to guide you, and so will I.”
A title card then appears, reading, “In remembrance of James Earl Jones”. Director Barry Jenkins felt compelled to pay homage to the late actor in some way.
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John Atashian / Getty Images)
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Jenkins revealed: “I was actually doing some early, early press, almost an hour before James Earl Jones passed. 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].'”
“”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 honour that.”
He further shared with Variety: “It felt like we had all lost a patriarch. We had all lost this man who meant so much.”
“It felt like there was no way you could sit in this movie go through an hour and 40 minutes – and not honour him in some way.”
James Earl Jones died at the age of 93 at his residence in Pawling, New York. He had been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes later in his life.
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Charles Sykes/Invision/AP)
The cause of death was not immediately disclosed. In a 2016 interview on the Rachael Ray Show, he revealed that he was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes in the mid-1990s while attending a diet and exercise centre.
His condition was discovered by chance. “I fell asleep on a bench in the middle of the gymnasium one day,” Jones recounted.
“And a doctor who was there said, ‘That’s not normal,’ and he encouraged me to go get checked out.”
He passed away surrounded by his loved ones, and tributes flooded in, including from actor Denzel Washington who hailed him as his “hero”, adding: “I wasn’t going to be as big as him. I wanted to sound like him.”
“He was everything to me as a budding actor. He was who I wanted to be.”
Mufasa: The Lion King is set to hit the screens on December 20
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