Disney will be returning to the animal kingdom with a sequel to it’s 2019 The Lion King.
Barry Jenkins, the filmmaker behind Moonlight and If Beale Street Could Talk will direct the film. Jeff Nathanson, the writer of the screenplay for the 2019 movie, will return to write the follow-up.
“Helping my sister raise two young boys during the ’90s, I grew up with these characters,” Jenkins 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.”
The recent The Lion King reboot was directed by Jon Favreau and it got mixed reviews, but made $1.5 billion across global box offices.
The cast of the remake included the voices of Donald Glover as Simba, Beyoncé Knowles-Carter as Nala, Billy Eichner and Seth Rogen and as Timon and Pumbaa, and James Earl Jones as Mufasa.
No release date has been announced for the sequel as the COVID-19 pandemic has delayed the start of production.
According to sources, the new film will partly focus on Mufasa’s, Simba’s dad who dies during the first film, early years.
Disney hasn’t announced if the cast members from the remake will return for the sequel.
