Barry Jenkins is working on a new movie called Mufasa: The Lion King. Disney just released the first trailer for it. Some people on social media are not happy about it.
The trailer came out after they showed a preview at CinemaCon. It’s about Mufasa’s backstory, the lion from the old Lion King movies.
Barry Jenkins shared the trailer on X (which used to be Twitter). People had mixed reactions. Some liked it, but others criticized Disney for remaking old movies.
One person said, “Barry, you’re too talented for this soulless Disney machine.” Barry defended the original Lion King movie, saying it’s meaningful for kids all around the world.
Someone else commented that the old Barry Jenkins wouldn’t have worked on this kind of movie. Barry replied, showing videos of his work with children during the same time he made Moonlight.
Another person praised Barry but warned against engaging with social media criticism too much. Barry agreed, saying he’s done responding and going back to work.
Barry Jenkins directed If Beale Street Could Talk and won an Oscar for Moonlight. He said he was drawn to Mufasa because of his memories watching the original with his nephews.
The new movie will be out on December 20th and features music by Lin-Manuel Miranda and voices from stars like Beyoncé and Donald Glover.