‘Lion King’ Is Getting A Prequel On Mufasa, Directed By Moonlight's Barry Jenkins
Disney’s ‘Lion King’ remake is getting a prequel (sequel?) directed by Moonlight's Barry Jenkins. It's set to tell Mufasa's origin story.
Alert all in the Pride Lands: Lion King is officially getting another film!
Off the back of the popularity of 2019’s remake of the Walt Disney Studios animated classic (which raked in a whopping USD $1.6 billion worldwide, by the way), the studio has announced a second flick, reports Deadline. The new film will see Simba, Timon, Pumbaa and the gang return to the fold, using the same photo-realistic technology used in the original remake. (There's no word yet on whether the actors will reprise their roles, or if we're looking at a whole new cast for the prequel.)
Barry Jenkins, who won an Oscar for scripting the Best Picture winner, Moonlight, will direct the film and Jeff Nathanson, who wrote the 2019 movie, will also be involved. Apparently the script is already finished.
According to a Deadline source, the story will “explore the mythology of the characters, including Mufasa’s origin story”. The source is saying the new film will move the story forward, but still continue to bust out the bangers Lion King is known for.
“Helping my sister raise two young boys during the ’90s, I grew up with these characters,” Barry said. “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.”
We're in the dark around when production will start or when the film will be released. In the meantime, though, we've got the Disney remake of 101 Dalmations, Cruella, starring Emma Stone to tide us over. Here's the trailer for that one:
Main Image Credit: Lion King, Walt Disney Studios
