THE LION KING Prequel Director Barry Jenkins Teases The Upcoming Movie
Last year, Disney announced that they were developing a prequel film for Jon Favreau’s The Lion King and they hired Academy Award-winning director Barry Jenkins (Moonlight, If Beale Street Could Talk) to helm the movie. It’s been explained that the prequel will “further explore the mythology of the iconic characters, including Mufasa’s origin story.”
I never expected to see Jenkins take on a film project like this because it just didn’t seem like the kind of movie he would make. Hell, he didn’t think it was the kind of film he would make either! In a previous interview, he shared:
"My agents send me a lot of scripts. When this one came, super top secret, I was very skeptical. I read the script and about 40 pages in I turned to Lulu [Wang] and I said, 'Holy shitt, this is good.' And as I kept reading, I got further away from the side of my brain that said, 'Oh, a filmmaker like you doesn't make a film like this,' and allowed myself to get to the place where these characters, this story, is amazing. What really pushed me across the line was James, my DP, said, 'You know what? There's something really interesting in this mode of filmmaking that we haven't done and that not many people have done.' That was when I went back to the powers that be and said, 'I would love to do this, but I've got to be able to do what I do.'"
The film will focus on younger versions of Scar and Mufasa, which I imagine will lead up to Mufasa becoming king. Jenkins recently teased the film during an interview with Variety saying:
"I grew up with these characters, they mean so much to me. I think the work that Jeff Nathanson, the writer, did and going back into really helping children and anyone who ever loved this property understand what it takes. Kings aren't just born, they aren't just made. They have to become who they are through a series of events that a lot of people can relate to. So, in that standpoint, it fits very well with everything else I've done. So I feel no pressure, I just want to do a good job."
I’m sure he’ll end up doing a fine job and deliver a film that fans will enjoy. The Underground Railroad actor Aaron Pierre is set to voice a young Mufasa in the film, with actor Kelvin Harrison Jr. (Luce, Waves) taking on the role of Taka, aka Scar. Jeff Nathanson wrote the film's script.