It’s official folks — it’s been confirmed that Disney are making a sequel for the 2019 live-action remake of The Lion King.
Lion King fans might be wondering if this means we’ll be getting a live-action version of the original sequel, The Lion King 2: Simba's Pride, which was released in 1998, however, apparently the plot for this next film is going to be completely new and original.
According to Deadline, Oscar-winner Jeff Nathanson, who wrote the latest Lion King remake, “has completed an initial draft” for the new script. It has also been revealed that this new follow-up will “further explore the mythology of the characters, including Mufasa’s origin story.” What a fun twist!
While there is no release date or even a production date as of yet, it’s understood that this new project will be a top priority, after the previous remake released last year made over $1.6 billion worldwide.
It’s been announced that the sequel will be directed by another Oscar-winner, Barry Jenkins. Speaking on this new project, Barry said, “Helping my sister raise two young boys during the '90s, I grew up with these characters.”
“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,” Jenkins revealed.
Even though the cast list is still under wraps, we can only assume that James Earl Jones will reprise his royal role as Mufasa once again.
If this is indeed an origin story for the King of Pride Rock, Mufasa, then it might be unlikely we’ll get to see Donald Glover and Beyoncé return to their roles as Simba and Nala, however, we can only live and hope.
This is just one of the Disney live-action remakes which we’re looking forward to at the moment, with Pinnocchio and The Little Mermaid still to be released.
