Disney Boss Says The Lion King is the Next Star Wars “If we can find the stories”
One of the most well-liked and profitable live-action films produced by Disney Studios is The Lion King, which was co-produced by Jon Favreau, written by Jeff Nathanson, and produced by Walt Disney Pictures and Fairview Entertainment. During its theatrical run, the film made over a whopping $1.6 billion worldwide, shattering several records at the box office, including passing Frozen and become the all-time highest-grossing animated film.
In an interview, the president of Walt Disney Studios Motion Picture Production hinted that they were eager to turn the franchise into an epic saga. He further talks about the studios wanting to venture into movies that reflect society.
Disney Studios’ president compares The Lion King franchise to the Star Wars franchise
In a recent interview with the New York Times, Sean Bailey, who is the president of Walt Disney Studios Motion Picture Production, mentioned, “The Lion King could expand into a big, epic saga like the Star Wars franchise. There’s a lot of room to run if we can find the stories.”
Disney Studios have generated substantial revenue from live-action films under Bailey’s leadership. At the box office, Aladdin brought in $1.1 billion while the live-action Beauty and the Beast brought in $1.3 billion. However, Mulan and The Long Ranger were misses for Bailey, as well as other films, and he acknowledged this in an interview, “I’ve taken some big swings and had some big misses. I’m grateful that the leadership of the company understands that is part of any creative business.”
In 2024, the Oscar-winning director Barry Jenkins will present the prequel to The Lion King, titled Mufasa: The Lion King. The movie is going to detail the origins of Simba’s father and his relationship with his nefarious brother Scar. Actors Kelvin Harrison Jr. and Aaron Pierre will portray Taka aka Scar and Mufasa, respectively. Like Timon, Pumbaa, and Rafiki, respectively, Billy Eichner, Seth Rogen, and John Kani will also make a comeback.
Disney Studios aim to reflect the world, as it exists
During the interview, Bailey mentioned “We want to reflect on the world as it exists,” when asked about the backlash that came after Latina actress Rachel Zegler was announced as the Snow White in an upcoming live-action Snow White as the fairest of them all. The actress also stated at the time that the production would tweak its source material’s story to fit modern sensibilities.
Zegler said, “People are making these jokes about ours being the PC Snow White, where it’s like, yeah, it is — because it needed that.” The actress shared during one of her interviews that she never really saw herself represented as a Disney princess in the past, so it was an honor for her to play the Princess on-screen. She is the first Latina to ever play a Disney princess in a live-action film.
Zegler said, “This really resonates with me because I was a big fan of, you know, Belle and Jasmine and Pocahontas because they had, you know, dark hair, dark eyes. To kind of subvert expectations and be playing a role like Snow White is so important to me because I know it’s going to mean a lot to young kids everywhere.”
The live-action film Lilo & Stitch, which also generated some controversy, will come after this one. Originally slated to play David, Nani’s love interest, Kahiau Machado, was swapped out for Kaipo Dudoit after Disney executives became aware of his racist social media posts. The actor’s social media accounts on platforms were found to have racial slurs, and multiple public social posts using the N-word.
Will Johnny Depp return as Captain Jack Sparrow in Pirates of the Caribbean?
Bailey was also asked about restarting the studio’s highly acclaimed franchise Pirates of the Caribbean as another priority, even though nothing has been announced as yet. He said, “We think we have a really good, exciting story that honors the films that have come before but also has something new to say.”
The president was asked if actor Johnny Depp, who is famously known for portraying the character of Captain Jack Sparrow, would return to reprise his role after he was axed following his messy divorce with ex-wife Amber Heard. He said that he cannot comment at this point, but hinting that there could be a possibility for the actor to return if he wishes to.
Source: NY Times
