Barry Jenkins explains why he agreed to direct Lion King prequel

Barry Jenkins has explained why he agreed to direct Disney's upcoming The Lion King prequel, which is set to explore the beginnings of Mufasa and Scar's sibling rivalry.

Talking to Variety, the Moonlight helmer admitted that the characters "mean so much" to him, having grown up watching the 1994 original, and that he was blown away by Jeff Nathanson's script for the new movie.

"About 40 pages in, I turned to Lulu (Wang, Jenkins' partner) and I said, 'Holy shit, this is good'," he remembered. "As I kept reading, I got further away from the side of my brain that said, 'Oh, a filmmaker like you doesn't make a film like this,' and allowed myself to get to the place where these characters, this story, is amazing.

"What really pushed me across the line was James (Laxton), my DP, said, 'You know what? There's something really interesting in this mode of filmmaking that we haven't done and that not many people have done.'

"That was when I went back to the powers that be and said, 'I would love to do this, but I've got to be able to do what I do.' And they said yes!"

As he and Nathanson collaborated further on the project, Jenkins realized that the themes of the film weren't all that far away from his previous works – and it bolstered his confidence.

"Kings aren't just born, they aren't just made. They have to become who they are through a series of events that a lot of people can relate to," he told the publication. "So, from that standpoint, it fits very well with everything else I've done. So I feel no pressure, I just want to do a good job."

The currently untitled prequel, which has already drawn comparisons to The Godfather Part II, will see (or more accurately, hear) Aaron Pierre, who worked with Jenkins on the Emmy-nominated series The Underground Railroad, and Kelvin Harrison Jr. voice Mufasa and Scar, respectively.

While we wait for its release, be sure to check out our breakdown of all the new Disney movies heading your way.