'Moonlight' director Barry Jenkins to helm Disney's 'Lion King' prequel

'I grew up with these characters,' says the Oscar-winning director

'Moonlight' director Barry Jenkins is set to direct a follow up to Disney's live-action 'Lion King'. AP 

Barry Jenkins has confirmed that he is set to direct the follow-up to Disney's 2019 live-action, The Lion King. 

Jenkins is director of the Oscar-winning Moonlight and the acclaimed James Baldwin adaptation If Beale Street Could Talk. 

Industry publication Deadline broke the news, and Jenkins retweeted it, saying, "This. Yes, this."

Disney announced plans for a prequel to the hyper-realistic live action movie on Tuesday, saying it would explore the mythology of The Lion King and include Mufasa's origin story.

“Helping my sister raise two young boys during the 1990s, I grew up with these characters," Jenkins has said in a statement. “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.”

Jeff Nathanson, who wrote the 2019 movie, is returning to pen the follow-up. However, Disney didn't announce any further plot details or casting on the new Lion King project.

The 2019 movie was directed by Jon Favreau, and starred a voice cast including Donald Glover (Simba), Chiwetel Ejiofor (Scar), Beyonce Knowles-Carter (Nala), Jon Oliver (Zazu), Billy Eichner (Timon), Seth Rogen (Pumbaa) and James Earl Jones (Mufasa).

Despite making $1.6 billon at box offices worldwide, the film was not highly reviewed – as it stands, it only rates 52 per cent on Rotten Tomatoes, while the original 1994 animation has a score of 93 per cent.

Additional reporting from Associated Press