What’s next for ‘Moonlight’ director Barry Jenkins

When he won Best Picture at the Oscars, Barry Jenkins already knew which film he would make next. In fact, he wrote the script, based on a 1974 novel by James Baldwin, at the same time as Moonlight in 2013.

If Beale Street Could Talk is the story of Tish, a newlywed in Harlem. When her husband Fonny is wrongly accused of rape, Tish discovers she is pregnant and must find evidence to clear Fonny’s name before the baby is born. It’s a powerful tale of injustice, love, and the American Dream.

“James Baldwin is a man of and ahead of his time; his interrogations of the American consciousness have remained relevant to this day”, said Jenkins. “To translate the power of Tish and Fonny’s love to the screen in Baldwin’s image is a dream I’ve long held dear. Working alongside the Baldwin estate, I’m excited to finally make that dream come true.”

“We are delighted to entrust Barry Jenkins with this adaptation”, Baldwin’s sister, Gloria Karefa-Smart, said. “Barry is a sublimely conscious and gifted film-maker, whose Medicine for Melancholy impressed us so greatly that we had to work with him.”

If Beale Street Could Talk production timeline

The project moved forward after the initial announcement and reached theaters in December 2018. Jenkins earned the Independent Spirit Award for Best Director, and the film collected several other Spirit nods plus Oscar recognition for its performances and score.

The Underground Railroad series

Jenkins completed the limited series for Amazon Prime Video, where it premiered in May 2021. The adaptation retained the novel’s blend of historical detail and speculative elements, and the full run later received a Criterion Collection release in June 2024.

Later Directorial Works

Jenkins stepped into larger studio terrain with Mufasa: The Lion King, released in 2024. That same year he also wrote and produced the sports drama The Fire Inside, which tracked the early career of boxer Claressa Shields and maintained his interest in intimate character studies even inside a wider production footprint.

Producing and Mentorship Role

Through his company Pastel, Jenkins has backed several independent features, serving as producer on Aftersun, the 2022 Oscar-nominated debut from Charlotte Wells, as well as All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt and the 2025 release Sorry Baby. Pastel also secured a first-look arrangement with HBO, Max, and A24, giving emerging directors access to resources while Jenkins remains hands-on with development.

Upcoming Projects

In 2025 Jenkins signed on to direct the sci-fi thriller The Natural Order for Universal, starring Glen Powell. He is also attached to helm Be My Baby, an A24 biopic about Ronnie Spector with Zendaya in the lead role. Both projects continue his pattern of pairing personal material with high-profile casting and studio partnerships.

Critical and Industry Legacy

If Beale Street Could Talk collected Independent Spirit Awards and Oscar nominations, confirming the strength of Jenkins’s approach to Baldwin’s text. The Underground Railroad miniseries appeared on the BBC’s list of essential 21st-century television and earned a Criterion edition, underscoring its lasting place in conversations about prestige long-form storytelling. Together these milestones show how the two projects first announced in 2017 became durable reference points rather than one-off follow-ups to Moonlight.