Barry Jenkins Says Working on ‘Mufasa' Was “Not My Thing"; Potentially Sets Next Film

Speaking of Barry Jenkins, a lengthy Vulture profile has been published. In it, the “Moonlight” filmmaker gives off vibes of a rather frustrating experience working on “Mufasa: Lion King.” Are we surprised?

It is not my thing. 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?” He can’t do that in a studio. Even now.

Jenkins does admit trying his hardest to ensure “Mufasa” remained a movie with his trademark shots. Apparently, according to Vulture, Jenkins tried to insert “many long, gliding, unbroken takes that float gracefully toward and around the characters.” He eventually got a note from Disney worrying that the long takes played a little “slow.”

Jenkins’ producer, Adele Romanski, adds that there’s a good possibility he will next be directing a biopic about choreographer Alvin Ailey for Searchlight and that it’s “not going to be a $250 million movie [..] So we’re going to have to go back to embracing a much more limited tool set on that film.”

For the longest time, Jenkins has wanted to make a biopic on Ailey’s life. This was before he directed “Moonlight,” and “If Beale Street Could Talk.” Jenkins will direct from a script by Julian Breece, who recently worked on Ava DuVernay’s Netflix series “When They See Us.”

In the meantime, “Mufasa” is set for December 20 release, a peculiar big studio venture for Jenkins. The filmmaker has been accused of “selling out” after hopping onboard this movies, and he’s shot back at his critics, a few times, including more recently on social media (“Bruh, What Kind of Logic is That?").