The king has returned! Acclaimed filmmaker Barry Jenkins has signed on to bring Simba, Nala, and even Mufasa himself, back to the big screen in a sequel to 2019’s The Lion King for Disney.
Barry Jenkins (Moonlight, If Beale Street Could Talk) replaces director Jon Favreau, who pioneered the motion capture animal technology used in both The Lion King, and The Jungle Book, and will work alongside writer Jeff Nathanson, who also wrote the first film. There are no release or production start dates yet, but this is sure to be a priority project for Disney, since the first film made over $1.6 billion in the global box office.
Deadline reports that the sequel is set to "further explore the mythology of the characters," including possible flashbacks to Mufasa’s origin story! Will we get to see his first date with Sarabi? Will Timon and Pumba get the beautifully dream-like romance full of longing and yearning they deserve? Is Regina King going to be there???
Jenkins is without a doubt one of the biggest names, and most skilled creators, in Hollywood right now. His last two projects (which he wrote and directed), Moonlight and If Beale Street Could Talk, won and were nominated for multiple Academy Awards, with Jenkins winning the Oscar (alongside Tarell Alvin McCraney) for Best Adapted Screenplay for Moonlight in 2017 (which also won for Best Picture).
One of the main complaints audiences had with 2019’s The Lion King was the lack of emotion and expression in the characters, which is definitely something Jenkins is a master of. Honestly, it’s hard to see Jenkins fumbling this, especially since he’s at the top of his game right now.
I’m the first one to say that I hate these "live-action" remakes of Disney animated movies, and especially the creepy realistic talking animal faces, but I'm actually pretty excited for this! Jenkins is a master of the craft and an exciting voice in the industry, and he deserves to get his Disney roses!
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