Director Jon Favreau has ventured into documentary filmmaking for the first time with National Geographic’s “Lion,” a four-part series examining the life of a lion cub named Kio in Kenya’s Maasai Mara. The project emerged from a collaboration with wildlife producer Mike Gunton, executive producer at BBC Studios Natural History Unit, who approached Favreau while the two were working together on “Prehistoric Planet.” Favreau agreed to executive produce the series based on his respect for Gunton’s work and expertise, rather than a predetermined desire to make a documentary.
The production required an unprecedented commitment of resources, with the crew spending nearly 1,400 days in the field across 52 separate shoots to follow a single lion pride—the most time ever dedicated to tracking one group of lions in natural history programming. The filmmaking process demanded that Favreau abandon the digital tools he typically relies on, with the team establishing a strict rule against digital manipulation or enhancement of footage. Local Kenyan filmmaker Faith Musembi and cinematographers Simon Blakeney and Sophie Darlington captured footage in an entirely analog format. To identify their main subject, the production team followed two prides and created detailed records for approximately 50 lions, including identification cards noting specific physical characteristics such as whisker spots.
The uncertainty inherent in wildlife filmmaking proved challenging for Favreau, who was accustomed to controlling narrative outcomes through directing. The crew faced extended periods when Kio could not be tracked due to impassable terrain during rainy seasons, and the survival of the subject was never guaranteed, with roughly half of lion cubs failing to reach adulthood. This unpredictability created what Favreau described as a harrowing experience, as the production could not influence events or guarantee the protagonist’s survival. The final series draws from approximately 1,000 hours of filmed material.
The finished documentary presents a coming-of-age narrative that mirrors the structure of Disney’s animated “The Lion King,” which Favreau directed in live-action form. However, Favreau noted that this thematic similarity emerged organically rather than by design. Hans Zimmer composed the musical score for the series. The documentary is scheduled to premiere on National Geographic on August 19, with simultaneous release on Disney+ and Hulu on August 20.
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