Could theLion Kingmovies one day be as big asStar Wars? That’s the hope at Disney, as producerSean Baileybelieves there’s a lot of potential in the future of the franchise. Bailey, who’s served as president of Walt Disney Studios Motion Picture Production since 2010, has also been overseeing the company’s live-action remakes. That includes the live-actionBeauty and the Beast, which earned $1.3 billion at the box office, along withAladdin, which pulled in another $1.1 billion.The Little Mermaidis also on track to pass the $1 billion mark at the box office, having garnered over $326 million and counting since its recent release.
But what stands above the rest is the photorealistic adaptation ofThe Lion King, which released in theaters in 2019. Under Bailey’s watch, that film reached $1.7 billion, prompting Disney to give the go-ahead to develop a follow-up film. That will be in the form of a prequel calledMufasa: The Lion King, delving into the origins of Simba’s father and his relationship with his nefarious brother Scar. Whether the new film reaches the same levels of success as its predecessor remains to be seen, but there could be a lot more to come with movies in the photorealisticLion Kingworld if that’s what ends up happening.
“There’s a lot of room to run if we can find the stories," Bailey tells theNew York Timesof further expanding the world ofThe Lion King, noting that it could even develop into a “big, epic saga” similar toStar Wars.
Related:Should The Lion King Live-Action Sequel Have Adapted The Lion King 2: Simba’s Pride Instead?
Could The Lion King Have a World as Massive as Star Wars?
TheStar Warsfranchise is massive, given how many feature films and various TV shows exist in that universe. It would be an uphill battle for any franchise to face if the goal is to matchStar Warsin terms of expanding the world of a cinematic universe. But if you go past focusing on the lions and get into the lives of other creatures in that world’s animal kingdom, there is certainly potential to explore that world for as long as filmgoers continue spend big bucks to see these movies.
We’ll first wait and see howMufasa: The Lion Kingperforms. The film features the voices of Aaron Pierre and Kelvin Harrison Jr. as Mufasa and Scar, respectively. Billy Eichner and Seth Rogen are also reprising their voice roles as Timon and Pumbaa, while John Kani is also back as the voice of Rafiki. Barry Jenkins directs the movie with the screenplay by Jeff Nathanson.
There was previously an animated movie released in 1994. That was followed by the direct-to-video sequels, 1998’sThe Lion King 2: Simba’s Prideand 2004’sThe Lion King 1 1/2. Timon and Pumbaa were given their own animated series in the 90s while the franchise would also launch a separate animated series,The Lion Guard, in 2016. That followed the TV movie that set up the series,The Lion Guard: Return of the Roar.
Mufasa: The Lion Kingwill be released in theaters on August 14, 2025.
