Academy Award-winning filmmaker Barry Jenkins will be joining the Disney family to make the next Lion King movie.
What We Know:
- A prequel to 2019’s The Lion King is in the works. Disney is bringing back the same screenwriter, Jeff Nathanson, who has already written a draft of the upcoming film.
- Jenkins issued a statement about being onboard the new project: “Helping my sister raise two young boys during the ’90s, I grew up with these characters. 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.”
- Jenkins is well known for his 2016 film Moonlight and his 2018 film If Beale Street Could Talk, both of which won big during awards season. Regina King won the Academy Award for best supporting actress for her role in If Beale Street Could Talk and Moonlight took home the Academy Award for best picture in 2017. Jenkins’ himself won the Oscar for best adapted screenplay for Moonlight.
- Disney released the live-action remake of their 1994 classic The Lion King in 2019. It was directed by frequent Disney and Marvel collaborator Jon Favreau and starred Donald Glover and Beyonce. The film was a smash hit, earning over $1.6 billion worldwide at the box office, and received praise for its photorealistic visuals.
Jenkins has also recently worked on “The Underground Railroad,” a limited series for Amazon Prime Video. Filming just wrapped and a release date has not yet been set.
