Since winning the Oscar with Moonlight, Barry Jenkins has been a busy man – he adapted and directed the underrated If Beale Street Could Talk and worked on Amazon series The Underground Railroad, among other gigs. He's adding one more to his To Do list, agreeing to adapt Oscar-nominated documentary Virunga for executive producer Leonardo DiCaprio.
Orlando von Einsiedel wrote and directed the original doc, which was released to acclaim on Netflix in 2014. It explores the forested depths of eastern Congo, home to Virunga National Park, one of the most bio-diverse places in the world and home to the last of the mountain gorillas. In this wild, but enchanted environment, a small and embattled team of park rangers – including an ex-child soldier turned ranger, a carer of orphan gorillas and a Belgian conservationist – protect this UNESCO world heritage site from armed militia, poachers and the dark forces struggling to control Congo's rich natural resources. When the newly formed M23 rebel group declares war in May 2012, a new conflict threatens the lives and stability of everyone and everything they've worked so hard to protect.
Netflix is once again backing this narrative version of the film, but there's no indication yet as to whether Jenkins will end up directing it, or simply writing the script, as he did with Rachel Morrison's Flint Strong. He's also attached to make a biopic of famed choreographer Alvin Ailey, so that would likely come first on his schedule.