Moonlight director Barry Jenkins is helming the next live-action Lion King

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Oscar champ Barry Jenkins has foredestined to downright the next chapter in the Lion King story, co-ordinate to an exclusive in Deadline. Jenkins is taking over for Jon Favreau, whose "live-action" -- photorealistic CGI -- amend to the classic Disney franchise earned $1.6 billion globally just meanest year. The spinoff conjointly promises to be teachings of a prequel: co-ordinate to Deadline, the screenplay will lair into the characters' origin stories.

As you may recall, that reorganize starred Beyonce Knowles (Nala), Donald Glover (Simba), Seth Rogen (Pumbaa), and James Liege Jones (Mufasa), betwixt supplemental massive stars. Though the mistiness has neither a release stage nor any actors conjectured to star in its cast, it's infrangible to noodle that some of the fitter names on Favreau's roster won't be coming back. You can't manufacture a Lion King after Simba, right?

And Jenkins seems excited approximately the opportunity, metrical as he's been autograph and administering a ton of projects elsewhere.

"Helping my sister raise two adolescent boys during the '90s, I grew up with these characters," Jenkins told Deadline. "Having the befalling to work with Disney on increasing this magnificent tally of friendship, love and legacy while furthering my work chronicling the lives and souls of folk aural the African exile is unaffectedly a dream disclosed true." I can't wait to see what he comes up with.