The Lion King 2 to be directed by Moonlight's Barry Jenkins
Moonlight Oscar-winner Barry Jenkins is set to direct a follow-up to 2019’s hit remake The Lion King.
The writer-director, who won the best adapted screenplay Oscar for the acclaimed gay drama with Tarell Alvin McCraney, confirmed the news on Twitter after Deadline initially reported.
“Helping my sister raise two young boys during the 90s, I grew up with these characters,” Jenkins said in a later statement. “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.”
Details are scarce but the film is rumoured to delve deeper into the mythology of the characters including Mufasa’s origin story, continuing the story first brought to the screen in the 1994 animated adventure. The film received its own straight-to-video sequel The Lion King II: Simba’s Pride in 1998.
Last year’s CG remake became a worldwide smash making over $1.6bn at the box office. Earlier this year, Beyoncé, who voiced Nala, worked with Disney to release Black is King, a visual album inspired by the story of the film. Screenwriter Jeff Nathanson, who penned the remake’s script, has reportedly finished a draft for the follow-up.
Jenkins, who was also behind 2018’s James Baldwin adaptation If Beale Street Could Talk, recently completed production on a small-screen take on Colson Whitehead’s Pulitzer prize-winning novel The Underground Railroad for Amazon. Jenkins is also set to direct a biopic of the choreographer Alvin Ailey and resurrect Steven Soderbergh’s period drama The Knick with star Andre Holland
The Lion King 2 will join a list of forthcoming Disney reinventions including The Little Mermaid with Halle Bailey, Cruella with Emma Stone and Peter Pan with Yara Shahidi.