Lion: Exclusive First Look at Nat Geo Doc Is a Real Life Lion King Moment
Jon Favreau and Hans Zimmer are ready to take epic storytelling to the natural world with Lion. And we've got an exclusive first look.
The world of lions is full of shifting power dynamics, fragile monarchies, and feline strife. This applies not only to The Lion King; it extends into the savannas of Africa, where the roiling ecosystems showcase clashes between beasts of all shapes and sizes.
An upcoming docuseries is set to explore the exciting world of a lion pride in extreme detail. Lion will air Wednesday, August 19 on National Geographic and then hit Disney+ and Hulu on Thursday, August 20. The four-episode series follows a male lion cub named Kio and his four-year journey in Kenya’s Maasai Mara National Preserve as he navigates the chaos of lion kings and queens.
Jon Favreau, director of Iron Man, Elf, and 2019’s live-action The Lion King, is lending his blockbuster sensibilities to the world of nonfiction filmmaking for Lion. Favreau will also serve as executive producer for the documentary alongside BBC Studios Natural History Unit’s Creative director Mike Gunton. Composer Hans Zimmer will be scoring the savanna yet again as he, Niccolò Pacella, and George Huston Warren of Bleeding Fingers Music supply the sounds to Kio’s journey, more than three decades after Zimmer composed the score to Disney’s 1994 animated classic.
Lion arrives after more than four years of production. The filmmaking team behind the series is the only documentary crew to spend over 1,400 filming days with a single pride and the first to follow one cub into adulthood, providing natural insights in extreme detail never seen before.
With that amount of effort, viewers will get to see Kio and his family navigate very human experiences, such as aging and maturity. In an exclusive clip from Lion shared with Den of Geek, we get to see Kio enter young adulthood; he hunts a brightly colored lizard through rocky terrain, playfully jumping around before pouncing on the red and blue reptile.
“It’s only a lizard, but for Kio, it’s a rite of passage,” O.J. Lynch, Lion narrator and Mufasa in Broadway’s adaptation of The Lion King, says while the young lion munches on his prey.
After catching the lizard, Kio is treated as more than just a little sibling. He wrestles with his brothers, mirroring the very human experience of playing with friends and older siblings in the summer. Zimmer’s musical contributions crescendo in the background as Kio tackles his older brothers, finally becoming one of the pride and not just a child.
The rest of the series promises to frame the adventures of the pride through a human lens. Kio will face many challenges as he grows from a cub to a powerful king in his own right, from royal uprisings to massive animals to his own family. Favreau’s experience with grand narratives combined with the beautiful cinematography National Geographic is known for makes for an incredible story.