Director Barry Jenkins tells EW about how the mother-daughter duo are riding again after the “Renaissance” tour.

The pride of the Knowles-Carter empire is now the pride of Pride Rock.

Blue Ivy Carter joins her mom, Beyoncé Knowles-Carter of Renaissance and Cowboy Carter fame, in the Lion King prequel Mufasa, Disney confirmed Monday with the release of the film’s first trailer — which is similar to the footage screened in Las Vegas for CinemaCon earlier in April. Blue Ivy will voice the role of Kiara, the daughter of King Simba and Queen Nala, to be voiced again by Donald Glover and Beyoncé after the 2019 movie.

Mufasa: The Lion King is told through flashbacks and framed around a story Rafiki (John Kani), Timon (Billy Eichner), and Pumbaa (Seth Rogen) tell a young lion cub about one of the Pride Lands’ greatest kings.

Director Barry Jenkins shared insights into the process of casting Blue Ivy for the role of Young Nala in “Mufasa,” the prequel to Disney’s “The Lion King.” He initially hesitated, considering whether it might be too close to home for Beyoncé and Blue Ivy to work together. However, both Beyoncé and Blue Ivy responded with enthusiasm when approached about the project, dispelling any concerns.

Interestingly, Blue Ivy had already showcased her talents on stage during Beyoncé’s “Renaissance” tour as a featured dancer for the song “My Power,” which was originally featured on Beyoncé’s “The Lion King”-inspired visual album “The Gift” in 2019. Some may interpret this as a hint of their upcoming collaboration in “Mufasa,” but Jenkins emphasizes that it wasn’t his intention to signal anything. He acknowledges that the timing of the “Renaissance” tour occurred after their work on “Mufasa.”

Jenkins admires Beyoncé and Blue Ivy’s intelligence and acknowledges that they have much more going on than him, suggesting that if they were signaling anything, it was all in good spirit. His primary focus was on Blue Ivy’s talent and potential to excel in the role, and he believed she would do a wonderful job.

Blue Ivy Carter joins her mom, Beyoncé Knowles-Carter, on stage during the ‘Renaissance’ tour. KEVIN MAZUR/WIREIMAGE
Barry Jenkins reflects on the timing of Blue Ivy’s growth during Beyoncé’s “Renaissance” tour, noting that the film captured a very young stage of her life, serving as a time capsule of sorts. He finds beauty in the fact that Blue Ivy got to share this experience with her mother, Beyoncé, suggesting a synergy between their real-life journey and the film’s narrative.

As for the cast, Aaron Pierre takes on the role of Mufasa, with Kelvin Harrison Jr. portraying Taka (young Scar). Tiffany Boone is cast as Sarabi, Mufasa’s future queen, while Kagiso Lediga portrays the young Rafiki. Other notable cast members include Preston Nyman as Zazu, Mads Mikkelsen as Kiros, Thandiwe Newton as Taka’s mother, Eshe, and Lennie James as Taka’s father, Obasi. Anika Noni Rose and Keith David, veterans of Disney’s “The Princess and the Frog,” are set to voice Mufasa’s parents, Afia and Masego.

Lin-Manuel Miranda, known for composing music for Disney films like “Moana” and the live-action “Little Mermaid,” was revealed as the composer behind the new songs for “Mufasa: The Lion King.”

Jenkins describes the core story as building upon the foundation of “The Lion King,” exploring Mufasa’s upbringing with Taka and his family. Taka, before becoming known as Scar, is depicted as a young prince with a promising future who initially embraces Mufasa as his brother. Additionally, Kiros, a formidable lion with significant plans for his pride, plays a prominent role in the film, although Jenkins refrains from divulging further details, jokingly stating his intention to avoid getting fired.

A young Mufasa in ‘Mufasa: The Lion King’.DISNEY

“What I loved about the script was it went into that place where you can really understand how a person becomes the person that they grow up to be,” Jenkins explains. “Seeing Scar as a cub and being like, ‘Yo, I kind of like that guy,’ it just did something to my brain. The other element of it was, I’ve always been obsessed with why we place people on pedestals, whether it’s kings, presidents, queens, prime ministers, whatever it is.”

In a roundabout way of talking about Mufasa: The Lion King, Jenkins references poet and essayist Ocean Vuong (Time Is a Mother, On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous), who previously spoke about the differences in language.

“He’s Vietnamese and was talking about how writing his poetry, writing his long-form fiction in English is interesting because he’ll think of things in both languages, especially when he thinks of his mother,” the director says. “He said that, in his language, ‘mother’ isn’t just this word. You aren’t just a mother. You are ‘mothering.’ In this film, what we uncover is that you’re not just a king, you are a king. You are that thing by living out the principles of it, by really embodying it. Simba had to learn that journey in the OG film, and it’s quite radical the ways in which Mufasa has to chart a similar journey, but with very different circumstances.”

Mufasa: The Lion King will open in theaters this Dec. 20. Watch the trailer above.