The Lion King will have a sequel. And we’re not talking about Simba’s Treasure, the 1998 animation about the adventures of Simba’s daughter and Scar’s son. We refer to the project that Disney is up to and that will have Barry Jenkins directing a sequel to Jon Favreau’s live-action film. Yes, the one released in 2019. Despite the spectacular footage from Favreau’s experiment, fans missed the original film. Therefore, some will wonder if this sequel is necessary.
In an interview with Variety, Jenkins explained what it was that attracted him to the project. Like everyone else, he was a bit reluctant at first, but something made him change his mind. If you also see the film with skeptical eyes, wait for the director to explain his point of view.
Jeff Nathanson’s script made him see the project with different eyes, but it was a conversation with his director of photography, James Laxton, that prompted him to accept the assignment. “What really pushed me into it was James Laxton, who said to me, ‘You know what? There’s something very interesting about this way of making movies that we haven’t done and that not many people have done.
Laxton encouraged him to express himself through the sequel to The Lion King, but Jenkins wanted to make sure Disney allowed him to do what he had in mind: “That’s when I had the power to say, ‘I’d love to do this, but I have to be able to do what I want to do. ‘And they said yes! Knowing that Chloe Zhao had gone from doing one of the most beautiful movies of the century with The Rider to making a Marvel [ Eternals ] movie, I thought,’ Oh shit. If she can do it, so can I. ”
Barry Jenkins is the director of Moonlight and The Beale Street Blues, two films that received Oscar nominations. The first of them went on to win the award for Best Film – remember the confusion with La La Land? – and the second also won the award for Best Supporting Actress thanks to the work of Regina King.
