Recently, the CEO of Netflix threw a bit of shade at Disney+ for only offering event-style content instead of a consistent stream of originals, as seen with the recent release of “Hamilton.” Well, regardless of the strategy, it seems to be working, as the Mouse House’s streaming service is gaining subscribers at a very fast rate. And with the release of the next “event” film, “Black is King,” it’s likely that Disney+ will dominate the conversation yet again this month.
As seen in the new trailer for “Black is King,” the project is dubbed a “visual album” from Beyoncé, much in the same vein as her previous project, “Lemonade,” which debuted on HBO several years ago. Except for this time, Beyoncé’s visual album is closely tied to Disney, as “Black is King” is expected to offer a retelling of “The Lion King,” but with modified lessons for Black youth today.
Obviously, this project isn’t just a remake of “The Lion King” featuring some Beyoncé music. The film is clearly meant as more of an artistic interpretation of the story, with imagery of children in space, flying through the air like a comet, and all other sorts of larger-than-life situations that place this firmly in the realm of fantasy.
“Black is King” arrives on Disney+ on July 31. In honor of the film’s release, “Black is King” has also secured distribution in African countries such as South Africa, Nigeria, Ghana, Ethiopia, Namibia, Cameroon, Liberia, Burundi, Senegal, Togo, Somalia, Benin, Congo, Kenya, Ivory Coast, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Gabon, Cape Verde, and many more through MultiChoice Group’s M-Net and Canal+ Afrique.
Here’s the synopsis:
Black Is King, based on the music of “The Lion King: The Gift,” will premiere two weeks after the one-year anniversary of the theatrical release of Disney’s global phenomenon, “The Lion King.” The film reimagines the lessons from the 2019 blockbuster for today’s young kings and queens in search of their own crowns.