Everything
Despite the hype, celebrity involvement from the likes of Beyonce and Donald Glover, and brand spankin’ new technology, I have to admit that I found the 2019 live-action remake of The Lion King, extremely er, underwhelming. While the photorealistic filmmaking was impressive, the film lacked the Disney magic I had come to love from the original film and it seems many people agree with me – on Rotten Tomatoes it has a mere rating of 2.5 stars.
But according to a report from Deadline however, the reimagined film will see a sequel which begs the question, why?
Booting director Jon Favreau from the helm, Moonlight director Barry Jenkins will lead the film’s creation as it serves as a follow up to the first instalment. There is no release date currently, but it is believed that instead of following the original sequel storyline, it will delve into the origin story and mythology of key characters including Mufasa, explored in a flashback-style format.
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“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 2019 The Lion King despite its poor reviews, fetched $1.6 billion USD at the box office which explains why Disney wants to give it another go. But after disappointing the original audience, will viewers want to bother again, even with a fresh storyline? Time will tell. Stay tuned for a trailer.
