Mufasa in Disney’s MUFASA: THE LION KING. Photo courtesy of Disney. © 2024 Disney Enterprises Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Beyoncé Knowles-Carter and her daughter Blue Ivy Carter play mother and daughter in the new Mufasa: The Lion King trailer.
Arriving in theaters on Dec. 20, the part live-action, part photo-real computer-generated imagery movie is directed by Barry Jenkins (Moonlight, If Beale Street Could Talk).
Mufasa: The Lion King follows Rafiki as he relays the legend of Mufasa to young lion cub Kiara, daughter of Simba and Nala, with Timon and Pumbaa lending their signature schtick. Told in flashbacks, the story introduces Mufasa as an orphaned cub, lost and alone until he meets a sympathetic lion named Taka—the heir to a royal bloodline. 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.
Blue Ivy plays Kiara, daughter of King Simba and Queen Nala, and Beyoncé plays Nala, reprising her role from 2019’s The Lion King remake based on the original 1994 animated film of the same name, which . This is Blue Ivy’s first big narrative feature acting role, following her appearance in Beyoncé’s 2020 film Black Is King, which she directed as a visual companion to the soundtrack album Lion King: The Gift, a companion to the 2019 Lion King movie.
Other returning cast from the 2019 Lion King remake include John Kani as Rafiki, Seth Rogen as Pumbaa, Billy Eichner as Timon, and Donald Glover as Simba.
New cast include Aaron Pierre as Mufasa; Kelvin Harrison Jr. as Taka, a lion prince with a bright future who accepts Mufasa into his family as a brother; Tiffany Boone as Sarabi; Kagiso Lediga as Young Rafiki; Preston Nyman as Zazu; Mads Mikkelsen as Kiros, a formidable lion with big plans for his pride; Thandiwe Newton as Taka’s mother, Eshe; Lennie James as Taka’s father, Obasi; Anika Noni Rose as Mufasa’s mother, Afia, and Keith David as Mufasa’s father, Masego.
Additional cast members are Braelyn Rankins, Theo Somolu, Folake Olowofoyeku, Joanna Jones, Thuso Mbedu, Sheila Atim, Abdul Salis and Dominique Jennings.
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Hamilton and In the Heights composer and performer Lin-Manuel Miranda wrote the songs for the movie and co-produced them with Mark Mancina. The film also features additional music and performances by Lebo M.
Miranda paid tribute to some of the original musicians from the 1994 Lion King in a statement.
“Elton John. Tim Rice. Hans Zimmer. Lebo M. Mark Mancina. Beyoncé, Labrinth, Ilya Salmanzadeh. Beau Black, Ford Riley, the incredible music team on ‘The Lion Guard,’ and so many musical contributors over the years. ‘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. 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,” Miranda said.
Mufasa: The Lion King is produced by Adele Romanski and Mark Ceryak and executive produced by Peter Tobyansen.
Beyoncé is known for other films including playing Foxxy Cleopatra in Austin Powers in Goldmember (2002); Lilly in 2003’s The Fighting Temptations alongside Cuba Gooding Jr.; Xania in 2006’s The Pink Panther alongside Steve Martin; Deena Jones in Dreamgirls in 2006 opposite Jennifer Hudson; Etta James in 2008’s Cadillac Records alongside Adrian Brody as Leonard Chess, Jeffrey Wright as Muddy Waters, Mos Def as Chuck Berry, Cedric the Entertainer as Willie Dixon, Gabrielle Union as Geneva Wade, Eamon Walker as Howlin’ Wolf, and Columbus Short as Little Walter.
She’s also known for her many music videos and cinematic music movies including 2016’s hour and five minute movie of her album Lemonade and 2023’s Renaissance.
Watch the trailer for Mufasa: The Lion King above.
Main Image: Mufasa in Disney’s Mufasa: The Lion King. Photo courtesy of Disney. Disney Enterprises Inc.
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