Blue Ivy Carter will make her film debut alongside her mum Beyoncé in “Mufasa: The Lion King.”
The trailer for Disney’s animated film was unveiled on Monday, revealing that Beyoncé and Donald Glover have reprised their roles as Nala and Simba and that Blue Ivy would voice their daughter Kiara.
“Mufasa: The Lion King,” directed by Barry Jenkins, is told through flashbacks and is framed around Rafiki telling Kiara about how her grandfather Mufasa became one of the greatest kings of the Pride Lands.
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, the “Moonlight” director recalled pitching the idea to the music superstar after hearing Blue Ivy narrate the audiobook of Matthew A. Cherry’s book “Hair Love.”
“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?’” he shared. “But once we put the question to them, they both responded with enthusiasm.”
In a separate interview on “Good Morning America,” the filmmaker said it was “really special” working with the mother-daughter duo and described Blue Ivy, whose father is rapper Jay-Z, as “professional” during her recording sessions.
“I think for them, too, they just approached it that they both wanted to perform and do the best they could. And yet, they didn’t have to pretend very much because they really are mother and daughter,” he added.
Seth Rogen, Billy Eichner and John Kani also reprise their roles as Timon, Pumbaa and Rafiki from the 2019 live-action “Lion King.”
They are joined by Aaron Pierre as Mufasa; Kelvin Harrison Jr. as Taka/young Scar; Mads Mikkelsen as Kiros; and Thandiwe Newton as Taka’s mother, Eshe, among others.
The new trailer revealed that Lin-Manuel Miranda is writing the film’s songs, with additional music and performances by Lebo M.
“The ‘Lion King’ has an incredible musical legacy with music from some of the greatest songwriters around, and I’m humbled and proud to be a part of it,” the Hamilton creator said in a statement. “It’s been a joy working alongside Barry Jenkins to bring Mufasa’s story to life, and we can’t wait for audiences to experience this film in theaters.”
“Mufasa: The Lion King” will be released on December 20.
