The Lion King Remake

[Daniel]

Sequel is the works. I'm shocked I tells ya!

The first “Lion King” was heavily influenced by Shakespeare’s “Hamlet.”

No way!

[Ben]

Well, technically, it’s a prequel, which is even dumber!

Hopefully it’ll join the never made pile like the second Jungle Book that we still have never got...

[Randall]

Boy, if you thought the LAST Lion King movie was unnecessary...!

[Daniel]

Sounds like a combination prequel/sequel:

They are keeping the logline under wraps, but I’m told that the story will further explore the mythology of the characters, including Mufasa’s origin story. Moving the story forward while looking back conjures memories of The Godfather: Part II, set on the African plain with a continuation of the tradition of music that was a key part of the 1994 animated classic, the 2019 film and the blockbuster Broadway stage transfer.

Which doesn't sound too bad...

[Ben]

No...it sounds waaaaaaaaay baaaaaaad.........

And it’ll be even worse when they reveal the title: The Lion King, Part II.

[Daniel]

Oooh, roman numeral!

Had it borrowed from Simba's Pride, I was thinking this as a possible title: The Lion King 2: We Are One. With what we know He Lives in You could possibly work.

[Bill1978]

Mufasa's origin story?

Mufasa was the eldest child born to the then King and Queen of Pridelands. As the eldest child of the monarch he was the heir to Pridelands. Along the way he learns humility from a wise baboon. The end.

There is no way in hell Disney is going the nature path and having Mufasa being a rogue single male stumbling across a pre-existing pride and then attacking the King and eating all the cubs all while singing 'I'll Just Eat My Way To Be King' and seducing Sarabi with the class 'I'll Make A Queen Out Of You'

Honestly rather than this plan I would take a 'live action' remake of Home On The Range any day.

[EricJ]

Mufasa's origin story?

Mufasa was the eldest child born to the then King and Queen of Pridelands. As the eldest child of the monarch he was the heir to Pridelands. Along the way he learns humility from a wise baboon. The end.

Ah, but then he does something to get Scar ANGRY at him!...Like, y'know, enough to banish him! Can't make a sequel after the marketable villain's been killed off!
(Well, actually, they could, but again, they're not remaking that one.)

[Ben]

Mufasa and Scar will have to prove themselves worthy to their father, who will pick Mufasa as king, thus sending Scar nuts. Maybe we'll find out he killed his Dad, too? Meanwhile Simba will be facing his own adjusting to being King, and will discover all this backstory as he looks to the past to work out his future...

Call me back in 2024 and tell me if I’m wrong...

[Daniel]

Good thing the remake made this addition: "I wouldn't dream of challenging you.. again". There you go! And Mufasa will probably be the one who gave Scar his scar.

[Daniel]

Interview with Barry Jenkins where he talks about the prequel:

Jenkins: Yeah, it’s pretty cool. My agents send me a lot of scripts. When this one came, super top secret, I was very skeptical. Like you, I remember when “The Lion King” came out. I had two nephews, and so I used to watch it with them. “Lion King” was the “Baby Shark” of my time. I’d seen it literally hundreds of times and I had this connection to it, and yet I was skeptical because, who am I to make a “Lion King” movie? Not a “Lion King” sequel! A “Lion King” movie.

I read the script and about 40 pages in I turned to Lulu [Wang] and I said, “Holy **, this is good.” And as I kept reading, I got further away from the side of my brain that said, “Oh, a filmmaker like you doesn’t make a film like this,” and allowed myself to get to the place where these characters, this story, is amazing. What really pushed me across the line was James, my DP, said, “You know what? There’s something really interesting in this mode of filmmaking that we haven’t done and that not many people have done.” That was when I went back to the powers that be and said, “I would love to do this, but I’ve got to be able to do what I do.”

And they said yes! I think part of that is because I knew at that point that you had already shot a very big movie of your own with some of these same folks. And knowing that Chloe Zhao had gone from one of the most beautiful films of the century with “The Rider” to making a Marvel movie, I was like, “Oh, **. If she can do it, I can do it.”

[Daniel]

This is premiering tonight on ABC! Yes, the remake. Talk about a fast turnaround.

[Ben]

It’s crazy how fast major films are making it to free to air TV thesedays. Many of the big Crimbo movies on TV here were 2018 productions, and Sky even screened the Downey Dolittle less than a year after release! Since it’s all owned by Universal they can do what they like, and it’s not like they were going to lose much revenue on it (!), but it was still a surprise to see that on a non-subscription channel.

I guess LK is in the same boat: it’s all Disney, and they know that the title has probably played out whatever revenue it will generate before the prequel hits. Again it kind of disparagingly proves most content is just made to fill up the little selection boxes on streaming services nowadays, and most other markets are not as "special" anymore...

[Daniel]

Little update on the prequel:

The Lion King live-action prequel is in development with an inspired take that revisits the iconic characters. Barry Jenkins, director of the Oscar®-winning “Moonlight,” is set to helm the film. Hans Zimmer (whose long association with “The Lion King” goes back to the 1994 original), Pharrell Williams and Nicholas Britell will deliver the music.

Ergo Elton John and Tim Rice will not be involved. Which isn't surprising given what they said! True as it was.

[Daniel]

Production to begin in September.