Mufasa: The Lion King has 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 King features a very talented voice cast including 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 King serves as a prequel to the 1994 original The Lion King and 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 King has great songs that 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 with ScreenRant just before the release of Mufasa: 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 in Mufasa‘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 of Mufasa: The Lion King as 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, but the 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 during Mufasa: The Lion King, there could still be time for him to fix his regret if he returns as songwriter for the next Lion King movie. Given how successful both the 2019 The Lion King and Mufasa: The Lion King were, it would not be surprising if Disney decided to make yet another Lion King. Whether it be a direct The Lion King sequel or a Timon and Pumbaa prequel, there could be another chance for a Timon song.

Since there is so much potential for another Lion King movie, 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 another Lion King film, 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 for Mufasa: The Lion King and look forward to more of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s work in the future.