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Mufasa: The Lion King is the highly anticipated prequel to the 2019 live-action film The Lion King. While the latter narrates the story of Simba, the upcoming movie delves into the past of his father, Mufasa, and how he became the ruler of the Pride Lands. Mufasa: The Lion King is set to release on December 20, 2024, and boasts a strong cast list.
The film is directed by Academy Award winner Barry Jenkins (Moonlight) and features music by Lin-Manuel Miranda (Hamilton). Several actors lend their voices to the movie including Aaron Pierre, Kelvin Harrison Jr., John Kani, Seth Rogen, Billy Eichner, and Anika Noni Rose among others. Donald Glover and Beyoncé Knowles-Carter reprise their roles from the 2019 movie as King Simba and Queen Nala respectively.
Joining the cast this time around as the voice of Princess Kiara, the eldest daughter of Simba and Nala and heir to the Pride Lands, is 12-year-old Blue Ivy Carter, daughter of Beyoncé and rapper Jay-Z.
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Read on to know more about Blue Ivy Carter's role in the upcoming film.
Blue Ivy Carter voices Kiara - Simba and Nala's daughter in Mufasa: The Lion King
Mufasa: The Lion King introduces the character of Kiara, played by Blue Ivy Carter. In the upcoming movie, the cub Kiara visits Rafiki (John Kani) with Timon and Pumbaa, and Rafiki recounts Mufasa's tale to her.
Although the character of Kiara does not appear in the 2019 adaptation of The Lion King or the original 1994 animated film of the same name, she is featured in the film's 1998 sequel, The Lion King II: Simba's Pride.
Mufasa: The Lion King starts with an orphan Mufasa being befriended by Taka (Scar) before they eventually have a falling out and the events of The Lion King take place. Kiara's character in the 1998 movie plays a major role in reuniting Mufasa/ Simba's pride with Scar's pride from the Outlands.
Director Barry Jenkins praised Blue Ivy's performance in the film. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, he stated that his inspiration to cast her came when he first heard her voice in the audiobook Hair Love by Matthew Cherry. He initially had misgivings about how the casting idea would be received by Blue Ivy or indeed Beyoncé, but both of them were very enthusiastic about working together.
Jay-Z and Beyoncé attended the premiere with Blue Ivy
Beyoncé and Jay-Z were proud parents as they attended the Los Angeles premiere of Mufasa: The Lion King with daughter Blue Ivy Carter on Monday, December 9, 2024. The 12-year-old wore a golden gown as she posed with her parents. The event was also attended by her grandmother, Tina Knowles.
Beyoncé took to social media to sing praises about her daughter's performance and wrote on her official Instagram account:
"My gorgeous baby girl. This is your night. You worked hard and you did such a beautiful job as the voice of Kiara. Your family could not be prouder. Keep shining"
However, this isn't the first time that Blue Ivy has attended a premiere of The Lion King. In 2019, the mother-and-daughter duo attended the LA premiere of The Lion King hand-in-hand. Furthermore, Blue Ivy was also featured in Beyoncé's hit song Brown Skin Girl, which was a part of her album The Lion King: The Gift, inspired by the 2019 movie. She has also danced to the track My Power from the same album on her mother's Renaissance tour.
Mufasa: The Lion King will be released in theaters on Friday, December 20, 2024.
