Last week it was confirmed a sequel to the 2019 computer-animated remake of “The Lion King” is currently in development. Normally, this is not the kind of news that would interest me at all. Yes, I like movies and try my best to keep up with the latest news, but as someone who didn’t have much interest in seeing the first remake, I wasn’t particularly excited to hear there is going to be another movie.
But there was one detail that did catch my eye. This one isn’t going to be just another live-action Disney movie — it’s going to be directed by Barry Jenkins.
I actually thought it was a joke article when I saw it for the first time. Barry Jenkins? The guy who directed “Moonlight"? The guy who won an Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay? The guy who just finished filming a limited series adapting a novel titled “The Underground Railroad?”
Yeah, that guy.
The initial reaction between my friends and I boiled down to being happy for him. Jenkins’ previous movies, such as “Moonlight” and “If Beale Street Could Talk,” may have gotten good reviews, but they weren’t exactly blockbusters. The first remake of “The Lion King” made more than $1.6 billion worldwide, so odds are the sequel is gonna make bank. And hey, if Jenkins wants to make some dough, who am I to tell him not to?
It’s also worth noting this is hardly unprecedented. While it’s rare for a director who has been the subject of as much acclaim as Jenkins to take on a project like this, there’s been a trend over the last several years of hiring independent filmmakers to helm blockbusters. Some of the best results came from James Gunn’s “Guardians of the Galaxy,” Taika Waititi’s “Thor: Ragnarok” and Ryan Coogler’s “Black Panther.”
In principle, I don’t have anything against this movie existing or the fact that Jenkins is going to be the director.
I just don’t think the movie is going to be any good.
While other directors have been able to make something unique out of their blockbusters, there are some pretty big differences between the aforementioned examples and “The Lion King.”
For one, Gunn and Waititi were already making cartoonish comedies. Granted, they had to adapt their material somewhat considering many of their previous movies had been R-rated, but they didn’t have to make a huge jump. And while Ryan Coogler had been working with a more dramatic subject matter, he was still able to adapt his themes about race into “Black Panther.”
Jenkins is not at all in the same boat. He would have to go from making grim dramas about race to something enjoyable for a wider audience. Not only that, but he’s also in the even more difficult situation of making a movie for kids who probably don’t want to watch hard-hitting social commentary. It isn’t the easiest transition to make.
Maybe he could make the jump, but that begs the question: why hire Barry Jenkins? Why not bring back Jon Favreau, the director of the original remake? I can’t think of a reason Barry Jenkins would be brought onto this project. To be honest, all it does is make me question Disney’s motives.
I’m not certain this movie will be bad. I’m really not. Maybe it’s going to be exactly what Disney needs to get people excited about these live-action remakes again. But somehow I doubt it. For now, my expectations are going to remain low.
