The Lion King 2, following up 2019’s live-action film is set to be directed by Oscar-winner Barry Jenkins.
Following last year’s blockbuster, the Walt Disney Studios film will be directed by Jenkins who won the Oscar for scripting the Best Picture winner Moonlight and was nominated for adapting If Beale Street Could Talk. Jeff Nathanson who scripted the first film will be back for this installment as well.
The film will continue to use the photo-realistic technology that director Jon Favreau used in the 2019 film and 2016’s The Jungle Book. It is expected that The Lion King 2 is not looking to directly adapt one of the animated movie’s follow-ups. No release has been set yet and the storyline is still under wraps. However, it has been reported that the story is a prequel that will further explore the mythology of the characters, including Mufasa’s origin story.
One of this era’s most acclaimed directors, Jenkins’ involvement in the second installment of the classic is a surprise given that he is best known for smaller, character-driven dramas. This will be his first time working in big-budget fare and this makes The Lion King 2 a very intriguing prospect.
He has also scripted a drama based on the first American female Olympic boxing champ, Clarissa “T-Rex” Shields, and an adaptation of Netflix documentary Virunga, about the battle to save the Congo’s mountain gorilla population. The last installment’s voice cast included Chiwetel Ejiofor, Donald Glover, Alfre Woodard, Beyoncé Knowles-Carter, Seth Rogen, and Chance the Rapper, among other notable names. There is no immediate word on the cast for this follow-up.
