Child prodigy Blue Ivy Carter has been announced as one of the voice actors on the upcoming film Mufasa, a prequel to the 2019 live action animation The Lion King. The latter saw her mother voice the character of Nala opposite Donald Glover’s Simba.
The daughter of rap mogul Jay-Z and Beyoncé Knowles-Carter will play the role of Kiara, the daughter of her on and off screen mother, who is also returning as Nala in the new flick. Glover will also be reprising his role in the new film whose first trailer was announced on Monday.
Most of the main cast from the 2019 iteration of the classic Disney story will return in the new film. Legendary South African actor John Kani who was Rafiki, as well as Timon and Pumbaa voice actors, Seth Rogen and Billy Eichner respectively, are also coming back.
Oscar-winning director Barry Jenkins, known for Moonlight, directed Mufasa. The discography of the film was penned and produced by Lin-Manuel Miranda,
On his part, Miranda said he was looking to follow in the tradition of good music that has traditionally accompanied Lion King productions.
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“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,” Miranda said.
Blue Ivy’s connection to the Lion King goes back to the 2019 adaptation of the film when the accompanying discography was produced by her mother. She lent her voice to the song Brown Skin Girl which also featured Nigerian artiste Wizkid. The song won the Grammy for Best Video.
The 12-year-old was also the voice behind the children’s audiobook Hair Love, based on Matthew A. Cherry’s Oscar-winning short film.