Beyoncé and Blue Ivy Carter | Images: Instagram, @beyonce/AFP, Kevin Winter, Getty Images for The Recording Academy
Beyoncé and her eldest daughter, Blue Ivy Carter, are set to join forces as voice actors in the upcoming prequel “Mufasa: The Lion King.”
Disney confirmed the casting with the release of the film’s first trailer on Monday, April 29 (Eastern Time). Beyoncé will be reprising her role as Queen Nala, while Blue Ivy will voice the role of Kiara, the daughter of King Simba (Donald Glover) and Queen Nala, to mark her movie debut.
The character of Kiara last appeared in the 1998 animated film “The Lion King II: Simba’s Pride.” “Mufasa” is a prequel to the 2019 live-action movie “Lion King,” and it will be told through flashbacks as they take the viewers back to the origin story of the king of lions as Rafiki (John Kani) tells Kiara the story of her grandfather Mufasa (Aaron Pierre).
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In an interview with People Magazine, director Barry Jenkins said that casting Beyoncé and her eldest daughter “will be impactful for both actors.”
“I thought there was something really lovely about having this mother and daughter get to play together and to work together,” he said.
“The two of them together, the few scenes that they have. You’ll just see; I think it’s going to be really impactful for the two of them,” added the Hollywood director.
Jenkins underscored that filming for “Mufasa” took place long before the release of Beyoncé’s newest album, “Renaissance,” and her on-going tour, making the project like a “time capsule” for the mother-daughter.
“We started making this film back in 2020 or 2021,” he said. “I feel like Blue grew quite a bit over the course of that tour. The movie is kind of like this snapshot, this time capsule of a moment in their lives that I think is really beautiful. And it absolutely worked for the film.”
Blue Ivy made her stage debut as a featured dancer, joining her mother in her ninth concert world tour, “Renaissance.”
“Mufasa: The Lion King” will premiere in cinemas on December 20, 2024.
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