“Helping my sister raise two young boys during the ’90s, I grew up with these characters,” Jenkins said in a 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.”
No release date for Jenkins’ “Lion King” follow-up has been announced. The 2019 remake was directed by Jon Favreau and grossed $1.6 billion worldwide, making the development of a follow-up a no-brainer for Disney. Favreau utilized a groundbreaking virtual reality production and relied on photorealistic VFX to bring “The Lion King” to life. Jenkins is expected to do the same.
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“The Lion King” was nominated for the Best Visual Effects Oscar but lost to “1917.” The voice cast included Donald Glover as Simba, Beyonce as Nala, Seth Rogen as Pumbaa, Billy Eichner as Timon, and John Oliver as Zazu, among others.
While plot specifics for Jenkins’ “Lion King” follow-up are remaining under wraps, Deadline reports “the story will further explore the mythology of the characters, including Mufasa’s origin story. Moving the story forward while looking back conjures memories of ‘The Godfather: Part II,’ set on the African plain with a continuation of the tradition of music that was a key part of the 1994 animated classic.”
Yes, THIS👇🏿 ‘The Lion King’ Sequel Set With ‘Moonlight’ Director Barry Jenkins To Helm For Walt Disney Studios https://t.co/Ev7Obi8Km8 via @Deadline — Barry Jenkins (@BarryJenkins) September 29, 2020 Sign Up: Stay on top of the latest breaking film and TV news! Sign up for our Email Newsletters here.
