If you thought it was strange that Oscar-winning director/writerBarry Jenkins— the man behind smaller-scale dramas such asMoonlightandIf Beale Street Could Talk —took on directing duties forMufasa: The Lion King, you’d be in good company. Even Jenkins thought he was a strange choice for the Mouse House to make: so strange he nearly turned down directing the film without even reading the screenplay.
During a chat withGamesRadar+, Jenkins revealed that even he thought he was an odd choice to direct the prequel to Disney’s live-action/photo-realistic remake of the 1994 animated film of the same name. “I definitely thought that when it first came my way,” the director quipped. “I got a call from my agent saying, ‘Disney has sent over this project, a prequel forThe Lion King.’ And I said, ‘Yeah, that’s not going to happen.’ But without even reading the thing!”
That’s right, the director was in fact so perplexed by Disney’s phone call (via his agent) to discuss it that he almost turned it down without reading the script. (Reading is fundamental, as they say!)
Jenkins was first contacted aboutMufasa: The Lion Kingduring the pandemic shutdowns and COVID restrictions of 2020. The time presented the perfect moment for the director to take a break, but he was encouraged by his partner and fellow filmmakerLulu Wangto read the script before officially turning it down. Thanks to Wang’s insistence, Jenkins made his way through the screenplay—and he was amazed by how good it was.
As he told it to GamesRadar+:
“I expected to read five pages, and about 45 pages in, I turned to her, and said, ‘Hell, this sh*t is good!’ And the next day, I finished it. As someone who was very familiar with ‘The Lion King,’ I was shocked at how many things I assumed I knew, or how many things I thought were etched in stone about who these characters were, and what the themes of ‘The Lion King’ were, to be honest. I was just shocked at how [screenwriter Jeff Nathanson] had dislodged so many of these notions, and how much of what I like, is prominent in my work, I felt like was prominent in this…”
Barry Jenkins Was Known More For Smaller Indie Dramas Before Taking on ‘Mufasa: The Lion King’
No one would blame you for at least initially beingperplexed by Jenkins' decisionto take this big-budget, live-action/photo-realistic film on. This is someone known for more intimate human dramas that strike an emotional chord without all the spectacle of a Disney film. But maybe that’s the connection the director felt to the script? After earning a nomination for Best First Feature at the Independent Spirit Awards for his 2008 film,Medicine for Melancholy, Jenkins broke out with 2016’sMoonlight, a $4 million effort that went on to gross $65.2 million worldwide and earned the filmmaker a Best Director Oscar nomination and a shared win for Best Adapted Screenplay with Tarell Alvin McCraney. The film also went on to win Best Picture, aftersome awkward confusionwithLa La Land.
‘Mufasa’ Stars Were Just as Shocked as Everyone That Barry Jenkins Wanted To Direct It
The Oscar-winning director was an unexpected and inspired choice for ‘Mufasa: The Lion King.’
After becoming the fourth African American to be nominated for Best Director, Jenkins followedMoonlightup withIf Beale Street Could Talk, a $12 million budgeted drama that also earned high praise from critics and another Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar nomination for the filmmaker. The movie went on to earn $20.6 million, not as successful asMoonlight, but still a showcase of Jenkins' creative talents and his continued growth as an artist. That being said, no one really saw that growth headed toMufasa: The Lion King.
Budget information forMufasa: The Lion Kingis scarce, but it’s safe to say it’s close to the $250-260 million budget of its 2019 predecessor, which went on to gross a staggering $1.657 billion worldwide. This is the biggest production Jenkins has been a part of, and while it may be easy to pick apart his decisions about doing something so “mainstream,” the director seems to really identify with the film’s themes and its characters. Jenkins highlighted how"The bonds between brothers, and this idea of found family, yearning, community, and legacy in a certain way. And just really deep things said and unsaid between the characters in interpersonal relationships"spoke to things that he was investigating in his own work.
Mufasa: The Lion Kingserves as a prequel and sequel of sorts as Rafiki (John Kani) recounts the origins of Mufasa (Aaron Pierre) and Taka (Kelvin Harrison Jr.) to Kiara (Blue Ivy Carter), the daughter of Simba (Donald Glover) and Nala (Beyoncé Knowles Carter) and the granddaughter of Mufasa. The story chronicles Mufasa’s beginnings as an orphan who befriends, and is taken in by, prince Taka and adopted by his family. While they become close as brothers, the story will also explore how love turned into resentment between the pair and resulted in Taka becoming the vengeful lion known as Scar. The film also features the vocal talents of Seth Rogen, Billy Eichner, Tiffany Boone, Mads Mikkelsen, Thandiwe Newton, Lennie James and Anika Noni Rose.
Mufasa: The Lion Kinghits screens on Dec. 20.
Mufasa: The Lion King
Mufasa: The Lion King is a prequel to the live-action remake of the original Disney animated film, The Lion King. The film will follow Mufasa in his early days; further plot details are currently under wraps. The film will likely explore Mufasa and Scar’s relationship and how it became as strained as it did. In the film, Timon and Pumba will return, with Billy Eicher and Seth Rogen reprising their roles.
