Multimedia company N LITE has announced plans to produce a remake of Osamu Tezuka’s iconic manga, Jungle Emperor Leo, also widely recognized as Kimba the White Lion. The announcement was made by Christiano Terry of N LITE during the company’s panel at Anime Expo on a recent Friday.
The Legacy of Jungle Emperor Leo
Osamu Tezuka’s original Jungle Emperor Leo manga ran in Gakudosha’s Manga Shonen magazine from 1950 to 1954. The compelling narrative follows Leo, a white lion raised by humans, who is destined to return to Africa and assume his role as emperor of the jungle, protecting weaker animals.
The manga has inspired numerous adaptations over the decades, including television anime series and film versions. The first television anime adaptation aired from 1965 to 1966. The most recent adaptation prior to this announcement was Jungle Emperor Leo: Hon-o-ji, an animated short film that premiered in 2000 at Tezuka Osamu World’s Tezuka Osamu Animation Theater in Kyoto. Tezuka himself produced these earlier anime adaptations, initially through his Mushi Production studio and later via his successor studio, Tezuka Productions.
N LITE’s Vision for the Remake
While the announcement confirms the remake is in the works, N LITE has not yet disclosed the specific format—whether it will be a film or a television series—nor which part of the original story it intends to cover. The numerous previous anime adaptations of Tezuka’s manga have explored different parts of the story, alongside original narratives.
N LITE’s broader mission is to bring forth Black and indigenous stories in partnership with global creators. The company specializes in “AFRIME,” a term they use for their hand-drawn 2D animation, and they plan to produce AFRIME films and television series. This aligns with the company’s other ongoing projects, which include the films MFINDA and Chiure: Child of the Sea. The decision to remake Jungle Emperor Leo suggests an intention to reinterpret or expand upon the classic tale through this lens.
