The fact that Barry Jenkins, known for his acclaimed work in films such as Moonlight and If Beale Street Could Talk, took on a CGI-heavy, all-digital project like Mufasa, a sequel and prequel to 2019's The Lion King remake, has raised many cinephiles' eyebrows. Social media is often abuzz with the query: What's a filmmaker like Jenkins doing with Mufasa?
Jenkins isn't oblivious to it, as evident from his latest interview for the Vulture. “On what planet do I, Mr. ‘Moonlight,’ make a prequel to ‘The Lion King?'” he said. “I can’t tweet about the Super Bowl without somebody reminding me that I’m making this f***** film,” he added. “I can’t … When I took this job, the idea was ‘What does Barry Jenkins know about visual effects? Why the hell would he do this movie?’ I think part of that I found very invigorating. People make these things, you know, with computers. So anybody should be able to do this. Anybody, right? There’s nothing physically that says I am incapable of doing this.”
Jenkins revealed spending 147 days shooting Mufasa on a virtual production stage with all the latest tools. Jon Favreau adopted the same approach in The Lion King, which grossed over $1.6 billion at the global box office against a budget of above $250 million. Jenkins strongly feels that this kind of filmmaking, where extensive effects, artificial lighting, and environments are employed, doesn't appeal to him.
“It is not my thing. I want to work the other way again, where I want to physically get everything there. I always believe that what is here is enough, and let me just figure out what is the chemistry to make alchemy? How can these people, this light, this environment, come together to create an image that is moving, that is beautiful, that creates a text that is deep enough, dense enough, rich enough to speak to someone?” said the Academy Award winner.
In the interview, Jenkins conveyed that despite working in a format unfamiliar to him, he managed to incorporate some of his usual stylistic choices, such as the long takes. This was, apparently, a slight cause of concern for Walt Disney Pictures, the company backing the production. Jenkins recalls getting a note about a 'slow' take. “We were trying to do these scenes in as few shots as possible,” Jenkins explained, “even though we didn’t have to think that way.”
Mufasa is expected to open in theatres worldwide on Dec. 20.
Jenkins is reportedly returning to live-action filmmaking, possibly with the biopic of noted dancer and choreographer Alvin Ailey.