Disney is officially moving forward with a follow-up to last year's "live-action" remake of The Lion King, but according to THR, it's actually being developed as a prequel to Jon Favreau's movie.

Somewhat surprisingly, Academy Award-winning Moonlight and If Beal Street Could Talk director Barry Jenkins has come aboard to helm the picture.

“Helping my sister raise two young boys during the ’90s, I grew up with these characters,” Jenkins 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.”

The Lion King was not well-received by the majority of critics, and was deemed to be a completely unnecessary retelling by fans of the original animated classic. Despite the somewhat chilly reception, the movie would go on to earn $1.65 billion worldwide, so another trip to the Pridelands was always a pretty safe bet.

Returning writer Jeff Nathanson has reportedly finished a first draft. No story details have been revealed, but the fact that this is a prequel means there's a decent chance we'll follow a young Mufasa on his journey to becoming King while dealing with his power-hungry brother, Scar.

What do you guys make of this news? Were you a fan of the first film?

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