Fans just got their first glimpse at the upcoming Mufasa: The Lion King prequel trailer over the weekend, subsequently revealing a few big surprises along the way. The movie musical, set to premiere in theaters in December 2024, will star Beyoncé alongside her daughter, Blue Ivy Carter. The film will be Blue Ivy's feature film debut, at only 12 years old. Although details about the upcoming Lion King prequel remain scarce, the initial trailer reveals several exciting developments, allowing us to focus on a few key details. Let's take a look at the trailer and behind-the-scenes info at our disposal, and examine what we can expect from the Mufasa: The Lion King prequel film.
The Film Will Include All-New Original Songs
Mufasa: The Lion King is a prequel to 2019's The Lion King, starring Beyoncé and Donald Glover. The 2019 film is itself a remake of the 1994 animated classic of the same name. While 2019's The Lion King had a few original songs in it, the film mostly relied on updated renditions of the original music from the cartoon. They released an album on streaming platforms to accompany the film, featuring both original material and existing Lion King music. The project was titled The Lion King: The Gift with performances from Beyoncé, Kendrick Lamar, Jay-Z, Pharrell Williams, and others.
Now, Mufasa: The Lion King will consist of wholly original music, as the prequel serves as a brand new outing for the franchise. Moreover, Hamilton's Lin-Manuel Miranda will be composing and writing the original songs, as part of an ongoing deal with Disney. For now, we're not sure if Blue Ivy will be singing any songs herself for the film, or if she'll just be voice acting and leaving the songs to another performer. Of course, it seems likely based on her front-and-center inclusion in the cast, and her superstar musician parents, that Blue Ivy will be displaying her singing voice in the film for the world to hear.
Beyoncé And Blue Ivy Will Play A Mother & Daughter
It should come as no surprise that Blue Ivy will be playing the daughter of Beyoncé's character in the Mufasa: The Lion King prequel. In the film, Beyoncé is slated to reprise her role as Nala from 2019's The Lion King, alongside Donald Glover's King Simba. According to a report in People, Blue Ivy will be playing the couple's young daughter, Kiara. Kiara first appeared in the 1998 animated Lion King Sequel The Lion King 2: Simba's Pride. Despite being a sequel to one of the most revered and well-known Disney films of the last several decades, Simba's Pride has remained relatively unnoticed since it debuted direct to video in the 90s. This means that, for most fans, Blue Ivy's rendition of Kiara will be their first exposure to the character.
Several other performers are on pace to reprise their roles from the 2019 film as well, including Seth Rogen, Billy Eichner, and John Kani. Other newcomers to the cast include Mads Mikkelsen, Keith David, and The Walking Dead's Lennie James. Aaron Pierre and Kelvin Harrison Jr. will lead the cast, as young Mufasa and young Scar respectively. Pierre and Harrison previously worked together on the National Geographic limited series Genius, with Pierre portraying Malcolm X against Harrison's Martin Luther King Jr.
The Film Premieres On December 20, 2024
Oscar Award-winning director Barry Jenkins is set to helm the upcoming Mufasa: The Lion King prequel, from a screenplay written by Catch Me If You Can scribe Jeff Nathanson. With all this talent behind the film, fans are already expecting an instant classic. Mufasa: The Lion King premiered on December 20, 2024, just in time for families to catch the movie for Christmas.
According to Jenkins, it was a real treat to see Beyoncé and Blue Ivy recording lines together. The filmmaker remarked that seeing the Grammy Award-winner "both on the screen and behind the screen, get to be a mother — and how that affected and impacted for the better the work that we were all doing — was just really awesome." With any luck, Blue Ivy's big performance will pave the way for a long and lucrative media career.
[Via]