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    Barry Jenkins to direct “Lion King” sequel

    By SHOOTUpdated:No Comments1440 Views
    Barry Jenkins arrives at the 77th annual Golden Globe Awards in Beverly Hills, Calif., on Jan. 5, 2020. The Walt Disney Co. is developing a sequel to the 2019 live-action “The Lion King,” with Jenkins, the director of the Oscar-winning “Moonlight” and the James Baldwin adaptation “If Beale Street Could Talk,” directing. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP, File)

    By Jake Coyle, Film Writer

    NEW YORK (AP) --

    The Walt Disney Co. will make a sequel to the 2019 live-action "The Lion King," with Barry Jenkins, the director of the Oscar-winning "Moonlight" and the James Baldwin adaptation "If Beale Street Could Talk," set to direct.

    Disney announced plans Tuesday for a follow-up to last year's poorly reviewed but highly popular photorealistic remake. The new "Lion King" grossed more than $1.6 billion worldwide, so a sequel was perhaps always likely. Less expected was a "Lion King" sequel with Jenkins directing.

    "Helping my sister raise two young boys during the '90s, I grew up with these characters," Jenkins said in a statement. "Having the opportunity to work with Disney on expanding this magnificent tale of friendship, love and legacy while furthering my work chronicling the lives and souls of folk within the African diaspora is a dream come true." 

    Jenkins earlier this year completed shooting on the Amazon limited series "The Underground Railroad," based on the Colson Whitehead novel. He won an Oscar for the script to the best-picture-winning "Moonlight" and was nominated for the screenplay to 2018's "If Beale Street Could Talk." He also last year made plans to direct a film based on the life of choreographer Alvin Ailey for Disney's Searchlight Pictures. 

    Disney didn't announce any plot details or casting on the new "Lion King" project, which was first reported by Deadline Hollywood. Jeff Nathanson, who wrote the 2019 movie, is returning to pen the follow-up.

    Directed by Jon Favreau, "The Lion King" featured a voice cast including Donald Glover, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Beyoncé Knowles-Carter, Jon Oliver, Billy Eichner, Seth Rogen and James Earl Jones. Reviews weren't good (52% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes) but it was more lucrative than any other "live-action" remake of a Disney classic. Unadjusted for inflation, 2019's "Lion King" ranks as the seventh highest grossing film ever. 

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    Tags:Barry JenkinsThe Lion KingWalt Disney Co.



    EU accuses TikTok of “addictive design” that harms children, seeks changes to protect users

    Friday, February 6, 2026
    The icon for the TikTok video sharing app is seen on a smartphone in Marple Township, Pa., Feb. 28, 2023. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum, File)

    The European Union on Friday accused TikTok of breaching the bloc's digital rules with "addictive design" features that lead to compulsive use by children, in preliminary charges that strike at the heart of the popular video sharing app's operating model.

    EU regulators said their two-year investigation found that TikTok hasn't done enough to assess how features such as autoplay and infinite scroll could harm the physical and mental health of users, including minors and "vulnerable adults."

    The European Commission said it believes TikTok should change the "basic design" of its service. The commission is the EU's executive arm and enforcer of the 27-nation bloc's Digital Services Act, a sweeping rulebook that requires social media companies to clean up their platforms and protect users, under threat of hefty fines.

    TikTok denied the accusations.

    "The Commission's preliminary findings present a categorically false and entirely meritless depiction of our platform, and we will take whatever steps are necessary to challenge these findings through every means available to us," the company said in a statement.

    TikTok's features including infinite scrolling, autoplay, push notifications, and highly personalized recommender systems "lead to the compulsive use of the app, especially for our kids, and this poses major risks to their mental health and wellbeing," Commission spokesman Thomas Regnier said at a press briefing in Brussels.

    "The measures that TikTok has in place are simply not enough," he said.

    The company now has a chance to defend itself and reply to the commission's findings. Regnier said "if they don't do this properly," Brussels could issue a so-called non-compliance decision and possible fine worth up to 6% of... Read More

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