Disney's The Lion King remake was divisive, but it was a huge commercial success, so it's no surprise that the House of Mouse has greenlit a sequel.
While we would have expected Jon Favreau to return as director, the studio has actually gone for someone a lot more intriguing: Barry Jenkins, who directed the Best Picture Oscar winning Moonlight.
What has got us even more excited is what Deadline are reporting about the film's plot. The publication states that the sequel will be taking a leaf out of The Godfather Part II's book, and delve into Mufasa's past. So it's probably not going to be a recreation of The Lion King II: Simba's Pride.
Related: Lion King director Jon Favreau reveals Easter Egg we all missed
It's not know when production is set to start, but it will continue with the photorealistic animals and have a strong focus on music.
In a statement, Jenkins said: "Helping my sister raise two young boys during the '90s, I grew up with these characters. 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."
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Understandably, Jenkins was very excited:
Related: Disney classics that haven't had live-action remakes yet
Disney's latest live-action remake is Mulan, which came straight to Disney+ after multiple big screen delays. Some of the live-action remakes in the pipeline include The Little Mermaid and Pinocchio.
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Joe Anderton is a freelance news writer at Digital Spy, having worked there since 2016. In his time, he's covered a host of live events and interviewed celebrities big and small. A big fan of TV and movies both mainstream and obscure, Joe also enjoys video games and in particular PlayStation. Joe currently does not use Twitter, but he only ever used it to tell people to watch the film Help! I'm a Fish.
