Today (April 29), Disney released the first trailer for Mufasa: The Lion King, a prequel to its 2019 live-action hit. The film is expected to offer a fresh look at the lives of the titular protagonist, voiced by Aaron Pierre, and Scar, portrayed by Kelvin Harrison Jr., in the African Pride Lands.
Additionally, Beyoncé will be returning as Nala, alongside Donald Glover as Simba. Excitingly, Blue Ivy Carter joined the cast as the pair’s daughter, Kiara.
Kiara first appeared in 1998’s The Lion King II: Simba’s Pride. The role will mark Blue Ivy’s major film debut, and fans are already excited. Check out the trailer below.
In an interview published by Entertainment Weekly, director Barry Jenkins said, “A buddy of mine, Matthew Cherry, made the short film called Hair Love that Blue Ivy did the audiobook of. Starting this project and just having that in the ether, I was like, ‘Is it worth a shot? Would Blue Ivy want to do it? Would Beyoncé want to act opposite her daughter? Is it too close to home?'”
“What’s crazy is we made the film, and then the [‘RENAISSANCE WORLD TOUR’] happened, and I think Blue really grew up over the course of that tour,” he added. “So the Blue Ivy you see in this film, it’s like a time capsule, this very, very, very young stage of her life, and she got to share it with her mom. So, I thought there was some synergy. It could be beautiful.”
Blue Ivy sang on “Brown Skin Girl” from the 2019 soundtrack album The Lion King: The Gift. The song made her the youngest recipient of a BET Award, and she also clinched a Grammy for Best Music Video.
Fans who attended Beyoncé’s “RENAISSANCE WORLD TOUR” also got to see Blue Ivy share the stage with the music icon. Initially, she was only intended to perform once. However, the then 11-year-old became a fixture on the trek despite criticism on social media.