The 1994 animated musical drama was lauded for its making and emotional content. A live-action remake of the film was made last year by Disney and also turned out to be a hit.

The new follow-up is expected to the origin story of Mufasa, while touching upon the lives of other major characters. Jeff Nathanson, who penned the script of the 2019 blockbuster remake, is working on writing the sequel.

Aside from the Academy award-winning Moonlight, Barry Jenkins also directed the 2018 film adaptation of James Baldwin’s If Beale Street Could Talk.

Jenkins’ latest project was his adaptation of Colson Whitehead’s Pulitzer-winning fiction, The Underground Railroad. He has also been roped in to direct the biopic of dancer Alvin Ailey.