Blue Ivy Carter cast as Kiara in ‘Mufasa: The Lion King'
BLUE Ivy Carter will voice the daughter of her real life mother Beyonce's character Nala in the highly anticipated Disney prequel, ‘Mufasa: The Lion King,' revealing how Mufasa (Aaron Pierre) became King of the Pride Lands.
The first trailer was released on Monday confirming the 12year-old star as Nala (Beyonce) and Simba's (Donald Glover) daughter Kiara.
The story will be told through the lens of Simba, Timon (Billy Eichner) and Pumbaa (Seth Rogen), while John Kani will reprise his role as Refiki with Kagiso Lediga voicing a young version of the mandrill.
Director Barry Jenkins has explained the decision to cast Blue Ivy in the movie, and noted he first realised her vocal talents in the audiobook for Matt A. Cherry's ‘Hair Love'.
He told Empire magazine: “She did an absolutely amazing job. She just felt like this really curious young person.”
He was also keen on the prospect of having her cast alongside her real life mother as that bond was brought to the big screen. He added: “Watching [Beyoncé] coexist with her daughter, and just how lovely and gentle and encouraging she is was really special.
“I think it bled into the performances they gave as well.
“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.”
In terms of the upcoming movie's plot, Jenkins has revealed that it “exists in parallel timelines” by focusing on Musafa in the past, and Kiara in the present day, in a similar vein to 1998 direct to video animated sequel ‘The Lion King II: Simba's Pride'. However, he teased: “There's some stuff from the canon that is very much referenced or alluded to, but it's its own thing.”
‘Mufasa: The Lion King' will hit the big screen on December 20, 2024.