The success of the live action de The Lion King, CGI transposition of the animated film of the same name Disney originally released in 1994 and revived in 2019, although not exempt from criticism especially regarding the facial expressions of the protagonists, it was truly remarkable, surpassing the remarkable figure of 1.7 billion dollars at the box office. As many of you know, the original film then had a sequel, also well received if not on a par with the first, and finally a third chapter which is instead considered by many to be a very poor quality product. What is not surprising now, however, is the confirmation of a live action sequel to the "new" The Lion King.
Disney has in fact officially announced the sequel and the director of the film that will be Barry Jenkins (Oscar winner for Moonlight) who will take the place of Jon Favreau. The screenplay will remain Jeff Nathanson from the first film who has already made an initial part of it. No other information has been disclosed at the moment, let alone a possible release date or launch window. Although the sequel will draw in part from the second original chapter, rumors seem to suggest that the making of this sequel will thoroughly explore some characters such as Simba's father, aka Mufasa.
Many were the prominent characters in the first live action that could even return. These include Beyoncé Knowles (Nala); JD McCrary and Donald Glover (Simba puppy and adult); Chiwetel Ejiofor (Scar); Earl Jones (Mufasa); Billy Eichner (Timon); Seth Rogen (Pumba); and John Oliver (Zazu). Almost certainly many of these, if not all of them, will be reconfirmed. All that remains is to wait a few months to discover all the news that Disney has in store and, at the same time, hope that the health situation caused by the Coronavirus can "relax" allowing greater use and availability of cinemas now almost deserted.
