Why The Lion King Could Surpass Star Wars as the Ultimate Franchise

The President of Walt Disney Pictures, Sean Bailey, has hinted at the possibility of The Lion King becoming a franchise similar to Star Wars. Inspired by Hamlet, the Bible, and Disney's own Bambi, the 1994 animated movie became a beloved classic and a huge box office hit. Jon Favreau's photorealistic remake in 2019 proved to be an even bigger success, and a prequel titled Mufasa: The Lion King is currently in production under the direction of Barry Jenkins. In a recent interview with The New York Times, Bailey revealed exciting plans for the future of The Lion King, suggesting the potential for an epic saga to rival that of Star Wars.

The Lion King could expand into a big, epic saga, like the Star Wars franchise. There's a lot of room to run if we can find the stories.

What's Next For The Lion King Franchise?

The Lion King franchise is set to expand with the release of Mufasa: The Lion King in 2024. The movie will delve into the early life of Mufasa and his ill-fated conflict with his brother Scar. According to Bailey, the Mufasa-Scar origin story is just the beginning of the franchise's plans to tell more stories, much like the Star Wars franchise. However, making The Lion King as culturally significant as Star Wars will not be an easy feat, despite the previous box office successes of the movies. The franchise aims to tell its stories through a combination of theatrical releases and Disney+ streaming shows.

Disney attempted to expand The Lion King franchise following the success of the 1994 film, but their efforts fell short with two direct-to-video follow-ups, The Lion King II: Simba's Pride in 1998 and The Lion King 1½ in 2004, as well as two short-lived television series, Timon and Pumbaa and The Lion Guard. However, the 2019 remake has provided the opportunity for The Lion King to become a major franchise, but its success as an epic saga like Star Wars will depend on finding compelling stories that are deserving of being told.