In news that feels both inevitable and completely out-of-the-blue, Disney has tasked Oscar-winningMoonlightandIf Beale Street Could TalkfilmmakerBarry Jenkinsto direct a follow-up to last year’s lavishLion Kingremake (according to Deadline). He will be taking over directorial duties fromJon Favreau, who seemingly has his hands full with hisStar WarsseriesThe Mandalorianon Disney+ and other endeavors in a galaxy far, far away.
According to the reportJeff Nathanson, who wrote last year’s update (which was more or less a photocopy of the beloved 1994 animated original), will be back to script this new version, which supposedly moves backwards and forwards in timea laThe Godfather: Part II, in part exploring Mufasa’s origins. Worth noting that the original animated film spawned several spin-offs and sequels, including direct-to-video premieresThe Lion King II: Simba’s PrideandThe Lion King 1 ½, along with a pair of television series,Timon and Pumbaaand the more recentThe Lion Guard. There are also countless theme park attractions and, of course, the long-running Broadway musical. So it will be interesting to see if this new film covers ground that these other projects didn’t cover. Also, anyone who was paying attention knows that we already got theLion Kingfollow-up we deserved and needed.It’s calledBlack is King.
“Helping my sister raise two young boys during the ’90s, I grew up with these characters,” Jenkins said in a statement to Deadline. “Having the opportunity to work with Disney on expanding this magnificent tale of friendship, love and legacy while furthering my work chronicling the lives and souls of folk within the African diaspora is a dream come true.”
The report notes that Jenkins’ production partnersAdele RomanskiandMark Ceryakare expected to come aboardThe Lion Kingfollow-up as producers. Jenkins just finished filming a multi-part adaptation ofColson Whitehead’sThe Underground Railroadfor Amazon and has a number of other projects in development. Considering the time it took to animatedThe Lion King, chances are he’ll be able to continue those projects while in production on the animated follow-up.
2019’sThe Lion Kingmade $1.6 billion worldwide, which technically makes it the most successful animated feature of all time. (Disney claims that prestigious title goes toFrozen 2but they were both fully animated features; callingThe Lion King“live-action” is a weird aesthetic/marketing distinction.) But it’s also worth noting that this project could end up not happening at all. Before Favreau signed ontoThe Lion King, he was actively developing a follow-up to his hit 2016 adaptation of Disney’sThe Jungle Book, which we haven’t heard anything about in the past few years. But withThe Lion Kingbeing fully animated, you don’t have to worry about little kids growing up or awkwardly hitting adolescence.
