OREANDA-NEWS Disney will film a prequel remake of The Lion King using photorealistic technology. The new film, directed by Barry Jenkins, follows the youth of Mufasa the lion.

Oscar-winning gay drama Moonlight director Barry Jenkins will direct The Walt Disney's The Lion King prequel movie. The film will be written by the author of the first part, Jeff Nathanson. According to Deadline, the new film will touch upon the younger years of Mufasa the lion, whose tragic death forms the emotional basis of the first film and its remake. According to Jenkins, he is happy to work on this story.

He said, that by helping his sister raise two sons in the 90s, he grew up with these characters himself, the director said. “It is a dream come true to work with Disney to expand on this great story of friendship, love and legacy, while continuing my work chronicling the lives and souls of people in the African diaspora.”

The new Lion King will be tied to the studio's photorealistic remake of 2019, not the 1994 cartoon. The studio did not specify an approximate release date for the prequel. Given the busy schedule of the studio due to the postponement of filming due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the time of the start of the production of special effects also remains unknown.