Oscar-winnerBarry Jenkinsdescribes the origin story of Mufasa in mythic proportions.
Enter Kiros, voiced byMads Mikkelsen(Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny).
I was talking to Jeff Nathanson, the screenwriter who wrote the original draft.
Kiros (Mads Mikkelsen) in ‘Mufasa: The Lion King’.Courtesy of Disney
He’s a great leader, Mikkelsen says of his character.
He’s one of the lions who’s protecting his pride.
And like most lions, he does believe that the best way of defense is offense.
Kiros, voiced by Mads Mikkelsen, in ‘Mufasa: The Lion King’.Courtesy of Disney
It’s a brutal world out there.
So, in his world, it’s better to move before the other guys move.
Kiros and the lions in his pack look visually distinct from the rest of the animals.
Kiara (Blue Ivy Carter) and Simba (Donald Glover) in ‘Mufasa: The Lion King’.Courtesy of Disney
That stems from a story element Nathanson conceived in his original drafts of the script.
“So that’s why he looks different than the other lions.”
You will have doubters in there, as well.
Timon (Billy Eichner) and Pumbaa (Seth Rogen) in ‘Mufasa: The Lion King’.Courtesy of Disney
He saw it through the lens of nature versus nurture.
“As children, we’re often responding to every bit of stimulus we have.
“Then here’s this lion, Kiros, who also enters everyone’s orbit.
And it can be intoxicating.”
They wanted this pack leader to resemble a man amongst boys.
“Then here’s Mufasa.
So, what didKobe Bryantlook like during his first season in the NBA?
It was those sort of intellectual frameworks.”
Then there was the voice.
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The sound design department then found real lion noises to complement Mikkelsen’s specific register.
“He’s been recording forever,” Greg Russell from the film’s sound team remarks.
And becauseMufasa: The Lion Kingis a musical, Mikkelsen sings, too!
“This will be my first attempt at singing as an actor,” he says.
“Before I was an actor, I did sing, but I was always in the choir.
I have a couple of songs.
It was nerve-wracking, but it was super fun to do it.”
“He was just down for whatever.”
He took the wrong path.
‘When they go low, we go lower.’
That’s what he did.
As opposed to Mufasa, ‘When they go low, we go high.’
So there’s always a choice.
