Barry Jenkins to direct The Lion King Prequel
Director Barry Jenkins is going to direct a Prequel of the Lion King. He is known for his works like Moonlight and If Beale Street could talk. Jenkins has a reputation for making award-winning melodramas. He will be venturing with untested grounds and challenges with this Disney break. This unnamed origin film is going to be his first family-friendly movie. It will explore Mufasa’s journey on how he becomes a King. His relationship with his brother Scar is also a possible plot point. The Lion King a retelling of William Shakespeare’s Hamlet but with animals.
The Original film has two sequels. Lion King 2 Simba’s pride is about Simba’s daughter Kiara developing a relationship with Scar’s heir. Romeo and Juliet is the main inspiration of this straight to video cult classic. This sequel actually have a very vocal following.
The Lion King 1½ is the backstory of Timon and Pumbaa. It’s the first Lion King film not inspired by Shakespeare. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead! by Tom Stoppard is the main inspiration.
Fans wanted to see a remake of the sequels because they do have a loyal following. They want to experience the stories they loved with modern graphics. On the other hand, a prequel can expand the Lion King Universe. It will open something new for the audience to see.
1995 original made $968.5 million in the box office while the 2019 remake made $1.3 Billion. This prequel is going to face a lot of pressure from high expectations to succeed in the box-office. They are going with photorealistic graphics again for this motion picture. One of the common criticism of the 2019 version is the inexpressive face of the characters. It made the animals look emotionless and cold.
There are no words if James Earl Jones will reprise his role as Mufasa. No cast has been announced by far.