WARNING: SPOILERS ahead for Mufasa: The Lion King.

Disney’s next live-action Lion King movie after Mufasa: The Lion King should take inspiration from another live-action franchise that puts its main villain front and center in two profitable installments. Following Mufasa’s $707.3 million box office performance, the two live-action Lion King movies have combined for more than $2.37 billion worldwide. This cements The Lion King as the highest-grossing ᴀsset of Disney’s arsenal of live-action classics and will almost certainly produce another live-action Lion King installment before the end of the decade.

Until the eventual Aladdin 2, Cruella 2, or The Jungle Book 2 come out, the second highest-grossing Disney live-action franchise is Maleficient, which earned more than $1.25 billion worldwide. The original 2014 Maleficent remains one of the highest-grossing Disney live-action remakes with a box office total of $760 million. This encouraged the creation of the 2019 sequel Maleficent: Mistress of Evil, which earned $492 million. As part of the Sleeping Beauty franchise, Maleficient is one of the few Disney live-action movies to focus primarily on a classic villain, which could be a great next step for The Lion King series.

Mufasa Still Leaves Room For A Lion King Movie About Scar To Happen

A Standalone Scar Movie Could Pull In Another Mᴀssive Box Office Performance

While Mufasa: The Lion King offers a variety of backstory and unknown details about Scar, who goes by Taka in the 2024 prequel movie, there is still much to learn about the character. Additionally, there are still parts of his backstory and motivations that could be fleshed out in a standalone movie which could really dig into his psyche as the leading star. A Scar standalone movie could add greater sympathy to his character or at least dive further into his motivations for ultimately killing his brother in the original Lion King movie.

As it currently stands, audiences better know where Scar came from after seeing the prequel movie but not so much what happens between Mufasa and The Lion King. It’s well-established that Scar is inspired by King Claudius of Hamlet, who is primarily inspired by jealousy, which is quite similar to the Evil Queen in the upcoming Disney live-action adaptation of Snow White. This level of motivation works for a film aimed at children but a more sophisticated look into Scar’s character can add new layers to his betrayal of Mufasa and his divergence into evil.

Disney Has Already Had Great Success With Live-Action Remakes Based On Villains

Maleficent & Cruella Are The Best Examples Of This

Scar has natural appeal as one of the best-known classic Disney villains, which makes him the perfect candidate for a Maleficient or even Cruella treatment. One of the greatest villains that Disney ever created was Killmonger in Black Panther, which made him a fierce and formidable foe but also provided a clear path of empathy and understanding of how his dark character came to be that way. This type of motivation can be applied further to Scar, which would fascinate children and adults of all ages. A standalone Scar movie could very well be the best iteration of The Lion King ever made.

Maleficent, with its mᴀssive box office, is the biggest example of a Disney villain taking the leading role and pulling in great numbers. Cruella, starring Academy Award winner Emma Stone, also did well and inspired a sequel, which is currently in development. The Lion King could make a live-action sequel for its next live-action adaptation but it would be missing out on a chance to make one of the greatest live-action adaptations in its history by overlooking a Scar standalone prequel. The Lion King 2 feels inevitable, almost forced, while a Scar movie feels instantly exciting.

A Scar Movie Could Adapt A Lion King Story That Came Out 1 Year Before Mufasa

There’s Already Source Material For A Standalone Scar Prequel

There is already source material for a potential Scar prequel movie to pull inspiration from, a Lion King prequel comic and a four-part miniseries from Dynamite Entertainment called Disney Villains: Scar by Chuck Brown and Trevor Fraley. Originally published in 2023, the miniseries takes place after the events of Mufasa: The Lion King and explores more details as to why Scar wanted to kill Mufasa and claim the throne of Pride Rock. It also dives into how Scar formed an allegiance with the hyenas, which is what eventually helped him rise to power as seen in the original Lion King.

While other adaptations such as The Lion Guard and The Lion King II: Simba’s Pride are certainly on the table, I’m not sure why Disney would willingly sleep on a standalone Scar movie, especially given the recent source material that is now available. What’s more, it would act as the perfect continuation of the live-action adaptations, wedging in between the original remake and the recent prequel movie.

Additionally, a Scar standalone movie would technically be the last time Scar would be featured in a live-action movie and would create a true Scar trilogy with two prequels and the original before his death. This way, The Lion King can continue with its sequel rollouts in the future after giving Scar, one of its best-ever villains, a proper send-off with his own movie, even if it does so in a nontraditional way.

Mufasa: The Lion King’s Box Office Makes A Scar Movie More Plausible

There’s Little To No Chance That Disney Won’t Make Another Lion King Movie

Since Mufasa: The Lion King did very well at the box office, Disney should want to do more with the franchise. With five years between 2019’s The Lion King and 2024’s Mufasa, this puts Disney on track to release at least one more live-action Lion King installment before the end of the 2020s. If it can only choose one, it should really consider the Scar standalone feature since it’s truly the most opportune time for that to happen. Another prequel is really the only way to incorporate Scar in the franchise moving forward and fans aren’t ready to say goodbye to the character yet.

Fans will likely still welcome a hypothetical Scar standalone sometime in the 2030s, but wrapping up the Scar narrative before heading into a new era of sequels, and even original content, could be the best play for Disney. With proven track records of villain-focused narratives from preexisting franchises like Maleficient and Cruella, it feels like Disney has to at least take a sH๏τ on a Scar movie, which appears set up to succeed. Even if it doesn’t work out as planned, Disney can churn out its anticipated sequel to The Lion King as expected, which is sure to find success.