The official trailer for National Geographic’s upcoming four-part series LION has been released. This follows the story of a young lion cub who ultimately becomes the king. Appropriately enough, it is executive-produced by The Lion King director Jon Favreau, along with the BBC Studios Natural History Unit’s Mike Gunton. It also has a score composed by Hans Zimmer, Niccolò Pacella, and George Huston Warren for Bleeding Fingers Music. The four-part event series debuts on National Geographic on August 19, beginning at 9/8c. All episodes will stream the next day on Disney+ and Hulu. Take a look at the trailer below!
LION Official Trailer
LION Official Description
From “The Lion King” director Jon Favreau and BBC Studios executive producer Mike Gunton comes the extraordinary true story of a lion cub named Kio on his epic journey to become a king. Filmed over four years, this sweeping saga of family, hope and courage follows Kio as he grows from a vulnerable cub into a powerful leader. Along the way, he faces loss, exile and fierce rivals in a fight to survive. Combining cinematic storytelling with groundbreaking natural history filmmaking, this series captures the complete coming-of-age story of a lion — and the remarkable making of a king.
LION is narrated by O.J. Lynch (Mufasa, The Lion King stage production). It took four years to make and was filmed in Kenya’s Maasai Mara. This is the first time a natural history production documented a lion’s complete journey from being a vulnerable cub to becoming king. The crew, including local Kenyan filmmakers, logged over 1,400 filming days across 52 shoots. This is the most time that has ever been dedicated to exclusively following one pride in the field.
“After tracking the lions in the field for four years, the pride never ceased to surprise us — what Kio endures and eventually becomes is extraordinary. Watching the hero’s journey against the backdrop of nature was incredible to witness,” says Favreau.
The series echoes themes that made the beloved animated film a classic. It is a sweeping coming-of-age saga of family, hope, and courage. It promises to keep audiences on the edge of their seats with the drama, heart, and high-stakes adventure. This will be an experience that will be enjoyed by animal lovers, families, or anyone who simply loves epic storytelling.
In celebration of National Geographic’s LION, Disney is continuing the Protect the Pride campaign. This supports the Wildlife Conservation Network’s Lion Recovery Fund (LRF) and its partners working across Africa. This campaign shares LRF’s vision, which aims to double the number of lions in the wild by 2050. Since Protect the Pride launched in 2019, Disney has invested over $5 million in LRF. This network has helped support over 400 conservation projects throughout 26 countries to help stabilize and recover lion populations using locally led solutions.
LION is produced by BBC Studios Natural History Unit for National Geographic. Jon Favreau and Mike Gunton executive produce the series. Jane Atkins is series producer, and Simon Blakeney is co-executive producer. For National Geographic, Janet Han Vissering and Tom McDonald executive produce.
What do you think of what you are seeing of LION? Are you excited to see it when it arrives on National Geographic/Disney+/Hulu? What are you most looking forward to with this series? Share your thoughts and opinions in the comments below!
