Beyonce & Blue Ivy Carter To Play Mother-Daughter Duo in Disney’s ‘Mufasa: The Lion King’

The mother-daughter duo is teaming up again in Barry Jenkins’ ‘Lion King’ prequel film.

At 12 years old, Blue Ivy is set to make her big screen debut after nabbing a starring role in the upcoming Lion King prequel alongside her mother, Beyoncé.

On Monday (Apr 29), the stunning trailer for Disney’s Mufasa: The Lion King dropped ahead of the film’s release on December 20, 2024.

The film serves as a prequel to the 2019 live-action version, with Beyonce reprising her role as Nala beside Aaron Pierre, who is taking over voicing duties for the titular character. Blue will star as Kiara, daughter of Nala and Simba.

Donald Glover has returned as Simba, while Billy Eichner and Seth Rogen are also back as Timon and Pumbaa respectively.

Barry Jenkins will be directing the project, while Lin-Manuel Miranda has penned original songs for the soundtrack.

“‘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,” Miranda said in a press statement. He added that, “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.”

“As I was reading this wonderful script, I was thinking about Mufasa, and why he’s great, and how people become great,” Jenkins said. “I was on stage at the Oscars with ‘Moonlight.’ And I was there, and five of my best friends from college were also there.

He added, “And what you’ll learn from the story is that Mufasa is who he is, is great, because of the family and the friends that he has. And so I saw myself in that. I thought: ‘This is a really beautiful story to tell.’”

The plot

As for the upcoming prequel’s plot, Disney announced that Rafiki — played again by John Kani — will share the story of orphaned cub Mufasa with his granddaughter, Kiara. Mufasa eventually crosses paths with a lion prince named Taka (Kelvin Harrison Jr.), who takes Mufasa in as a brother. “The chance meeting sets in motion an expansive journey of an extraordinary group of misfits searching for their destiny—their bonds will be tested as they work together to evade a threatening and deadly foe,” a press release reads.

The cast also includes Mads Mikkelsen, Thandiwe Newton, Anika Noni Rose, Keith David, Kagiso Lediga, Tiffany Boone, Lennie James, Preston Nyman, Braelyn Rankins, Theo Somolu, Folake Olowofoyeku, Joanna Jones, Thuso Mbedu, Sheila Atim, Abdul Salis, and Dominique Jennings.

Watch the official trailer below:

Stay informed with the latest news and offers from your favorite artists, events, and happenings.