Daughter of Superstar Music Moguls Lands Her First Acting Role in Disney’s Upcoming ‘Mufasa: The Lion King’

A Brand-New ‘Lion King’ Film

Walt Disney Pictures continues its pilgrimage toward remaking seemingly every beloved Disney film known to fans, this time with the prequel to the 1994 classic, The Lion King.

Technically, the 2019 live-action film The Lion King by director Jon Favreau serves as the original live-action remake (is that possible?) of the film. Now, Disney’s upcoming Mufasa: The Lion King, which is slated for a holiday 2024 debut, will endeavor to offer fans a look at Scar’s and Mufasa’s beginnings–and, hopefully, why Scar has such an egregious axe to grind with his older brother.

Credit: Walt Disney Animation/Canva

Mufasa: The Lion King

nd, as was the case in the animated film, Walt Disney Pictures has tapped several successful and wildly talented actors, actresses, and even a beloved songstress to lend their talents to the new film.

Mufasa: The Lion King is directed by Barry Jenkins, written by Jeff Nathanson, and produced by a dynamic duo comprised of Walt Disney Pictures and Pastel Productions.

Credit: Walt Disney Pictures

The project is reportedly a live-action “photorealistic” animated film, somewhat like the 2019 remake film. Mufasa: The Lion King will dive deep into Mufasa’s backstory, following his life from childhood. It will also uncover the past between Mufasa and his brother Scar, who later becomes his nemesis.

A Star-Studded Cast . . . And a Brand-New Starlet

Famous from her birth, thanks to the unbridled success of her parents’ respective musical careers, Blue Ivy Carter, the eldest daughter of singer and songwriter Beyoncé and rapper Jay-Z, has landed her first major film role–that of Kiara, the daughter of Simba and Nala in Disney’s Mufasa: The Lion King.

Credit: Flickr/Ana y María Quintana y González

Blue Ivy will join her mom, Beyoncé, who will lend her iconic voice to Nala, Simba’s wife. Simba will be voiced by Donald Glover, Mufasa will be voiced by actor Aaron Pierre, and John Kani will lend his voice to Rafiki.

The story of Mufasa: The Lion King is reportedly told by Rafiki in a conversation with Kiara, Simba’s daughter.

Rafiki in Disney’s “Mufasa: The Lion King” (2024)/Credit: Walt Disney Pictures

Director Barry Jenkins Explains Why Blue Ivy Was Cast

Following Monday’s release of the new film’s first trailer, Jenkins spoke with Empire Magazine about the upcoming film and explained the reasoning behind his decision to cast the young girl in the film alongside her superstar mom.

Credit: Walt Disney Pictures

“I think it bled into the performances they gave as well,” Jenkins continued. “I think this will be this really beautiful time capsule for the two of them, at this moment when they get to share this part of their relationship as these characters.”

Jenkins, an Academy Award-winning director, continued, giving insight into his collaboration with Grammy Award-, Pulitzer Prize-, and Tony Award-winning actor, singer, and lyricist Lin Manuel Miranda on the music for the film.

Credit: Disney+

“We wanted to really find a balance of symbiosis between the music and the film,” Jenkins explained. “Lin really leaned in and tried to find the places that . . . Jeff Nathanson, the writer of the script, [and I] had tried to go deeper into the background of some of these characters in this film.”

Jenkins praised Lin Manuel Miranda‘s efforts in the film, saying, “He did a really, really wonderful job, and he and I already had something of a rapport.”

Credit: Walt Disney Pictures

“It’s a ‘journey’ film,” Jenkins added. “We’re used to all these characters living together in this one place, and I think part of [the film’s] objective is to really show where all these people came from and how they ended up together.”

On Monday, Walt Disney Pictures released the first trailer for the new film and confirmed that Blue Ivy Carter will voice the role of Kiara, who, like Carter, is a bit of a child star in her own right as her parents, Simba and Nala, are key players at Pride Rock.