Barry Jenkins likely won’t be doing another computer-generated movie after Disney’s Mufasa: The Lion King.
Jenkins, who directed Moonlight and won an Oscar for adapting the script, admitted in a new interview that he realizes working with CGI technology is not for him. Instead, he prefers to work with real people on real sets.
“It is not my thing,” Jenkins said about CGI movies to Vulture via The Hollywood Reporter. “I want to work the other way again, where I want to physically get everything there.”
He added, “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?”
Related: ‘Mufasa: The Lion King’ Trailer Features Beyoncé and Blue Ivy Carter
Jenkins is known to audiences for his character-driven storytelling such as in Moonlight and his adaptation of James Baldwin’s If Beale Street Could Talk.
Because of his acclaimed work, some fans questioned why he would even agree to make a Disney film.
One person wrote on X, formerly Twitter, “Barry, you’re too good and talented for [Bob] Iger’s soulless machine.”
Another person said the director took the Mufasa job for financial reasons, and has now opted to “shill” for the studio.
“You can do a Disney movie for the check, in order to work on your passion projects at a later time, but you don’t have to shill like this,” wrote the X user.
During his interview with Vulture, Jenkins did share more on why he accepted the job, with one reason being he needed to “slow down,” and wanted to have steady work in Los Angeles for three years. He lives in L.A. with his wife, The Farewell director Lulu Wang.
Mufasa is a follow-up to 2019’s The Lion King, a “live-action” remake of Disney Animation’s 1994 film.
The new film as noted in the official description, “enlists Rafiki to relay the legend of Mufasa to young lion cub Kiara, daughter of Simba and Nala, with Timon and Pumbaa lending their signature schtick.”
Mufasa: The Lion King is scheduled to debut in theaters on Dec. 20.
