Mufasa: The Lion Kinghas some undeniably catchy songs thanks to Lin-Manuel Miranda’s impressive songwriting abilities, but there is one that the songwriter has expressed regret over.Mufasa: The Lion Kingfeatures a very talented voice castincluding Aaron Pierre, Kelvin Harrison Jr., John Kani, Seth Rogen, Billy Eichner, Blue Ivy Carter, Donald Glover, Beyoncé and more. Needless to say, Lin-Manuel Miranda had plenty of talent to work with for his songs.
What’s more,Mufasa: The Lion Kingserves as a prequelto the 1994 originalThe Lion Kingand its 2019 remake of the same name, meaning that while the characters are familiar, director Barry Jenkins was able to tell a completely new story and the songs reflected that as well. As a result,Mufasa: The Lion Kinghas great songsthat are able to differentiate it from the original’s legendary soundtrack. However,Miranda has stated that there is one character he wishes could have had their own new song.
Lin-Manuel Miranda Regrets Not Writing A Song For Billy Eichner’s Timon In Mufasa
Miranda Shared That He Loves Eichner’s Voice
In an interview withScreenRantjust before the release ofMufasa: The Lion King,Lin-Manuel Miranda stated that his biggest regret was that he did not get to write a song for Billy Eichner, who voices Timon. Miranda stated that he has known Eichner for many years and that the actor “has an incredible voice” so it would have been cool for them to work together in that way. Though, given how many talented singers are included inMufasa’s cast, the songwriter shared that he was excited to work with all of them.
Additionally, Lin-Manuel Miranda’s choice not to include a song for Timon ultimately makes sense for the movie, since Timon and Pumbaa are not the main characters. Timon and Pumbaa show up at the beginning ofMufasa: The Lion Kingas Rafiki agrees to tell Simba and Nala’s daughter, Kiara, a story about her grandfather. They also crop up throughout the prequel story to provide funny commentary, butthe majority of the story does not really focus on them. Thus, it would not make that much sense to give either of them a new song.
The Next Lion King Movie Could Redeem Lin-Manuel Miranda, If He Returns
If Another Lion King Happens And Miranda Is Involved, Timon Should Get A Song
While it would not have made sense for Lin-Manuel Miranda to focus too much attention on Timon duringMufasa: The Lion King, there could still be time for him to fix his regret if he returns as songwriter for the nextLion Kingmovie. Given how successful both the 2019The Lion KingandMufasa: The Lion Kingwere,it would not be surprising if Disney decided to make yet anotherLion King. Whether it be a directThe Lion Kingsequel or a Timon and Pumbaa prequel, there could be another chance for a Timon song.
So far, nothing has been announced about anotherLion Kingfilm.
Since there is so much potential for anotherLion Kingmovie, and one that features more of Timon and Pumbaa in particular, the biggest question mark is over whether Lin-Manuel Miranda himself will return to write the songs. So far, nothing has been announced about anotherLion Kingfilm, so it is impossible to know what other projects Miranda will work on in the meantime or if he would return to the franchise. For now, audiences will just have to enjoy the soundtrack forMufasa: The Lion Kingand look forward to more of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s work in the future.
