Aaron Pierre and Kelvin Harrison Jr.  will venture with director Barry Jenkins to the Pride Lands, with the actors set to voice Mufasa and Scar in Disney’s upcoming prequel to “The Lion King.”

After the studio’s 2019 photo-realistic adaptation of the animated classic grossed $1.6 billion at the global box office, Disney was eager to return to the vast savanna and greenlit a follow-up with Jenkins, the filmmaker behind the Oscar-winning “Moonlight,” at the helm. It’s unclear what exactly the film will be about, but it’s expected to focus on the early years of Mufasa, the regal father of Simba, and his menacing younger brother Scar.

Pierre, who recently worked with Jenkins on the historical TV series “The Underground Railroad,” is set to play Mufasa. Harrison Jr., best known for leading the Trey Edward Shults drama “Waves,” will portray Scar, whose birth-name is Taka.

Of the prequel, Jenkins previously said, “Helping my sister raise two young boys during the ’90s, I grew up with these characters. Having the opportunity to work with Disney on expanding this magnificent tale of friendship, love and legacy while furthering my work chronicling the lives and souls of folk within the African diaspora is a dream come true.”

Disney has yet to reveal the remaining cast members, though “The Lion King” prequel will likely be another star-studded affair. The voice cast for the recent remake, directed by Jon Favreau, included Donald Glover as Simba, Beyoncé Knowles-Carter as Nala, Billy Eichner and Seth Rogen and as Timon and Pumbaa and James Earl Jones as Mufasa. Jeff Nathanson, who wrote the screenplay for the 2019 movie, is returning to write the follow-up.

Deadline Hollywood first reported the casting news.

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