Beyoncé is continuing her "stage mother" era as Blue Ivy is set to join her in the upcoming Lion King prequel.
The Grammy-winner is set to return as Nala for the Disney movie musical, alongside Donald Glover, a.k.a. Childish Gambino, as Simba. Blue Ivy will be voicing their daughter, a lion cub named Kiara.
Mufasa: the Lion King is directed by Barry Jenkins, who is known for helming films like Moonlight and Aftersun. He says that the Cowboy Carter singer's daughter did not necessarily get the "nepo-baby" treatment, confirming that she was "professional" on set and knew she had the performance in her.
"I could just hear that Blue could do it, that she could play this character, Kiara," Jenkins said to ABC News. He said the 12-year-old's narration of the "Hair Love" audiobook made him confident that she could take on the part.
When it came to recording their parts, Jenkins confirms that Beyoncé was in full-on mom duty while Blue Ivy was in the studio, which lent itself well to their performances.
"Beyoncé is this larger-than-life figure, but when she's working with her daughter, when she's in the room with her daughter, she's a mom first," he continued. "So much of that energy bled into the film."
Set for release on Dec. 20, the movie will feature new music by Lin-Manuel Miranda. Lebo M will contribute additional music. While there is no official confirmation that Beyonce will be singing in the feature, her show stopping performance of "Can You Feel the Love Tonight?" in the first installment can make it safe to assume she'll team up with the Hamilton scribe for a new tune.
"I was so glad that both Beyoncé and Blue Ivy were down to do it, and watching them work together was just really special," Jenkins said.
Also returning from the original movie will be John Kani as Rafiki, Seth Rogen as Pumbaa, and Billy Eichner as Timon. The title role of Mufasa is voiced by Aaron Pierre, with Kelvin Harrison Jr. playing lion prince and newfound friend to the future king, Taka. The movie also includes Tiffany Boone as Sarabi and Mads Mikkelsen as Kiros. Anika Noni Rose - Beyoncé's Dreamgirls co-star who is also the voice of Tiana in The Princess and the Frog - is playing Mufasa's mother, Afia.
The movie centers around the rise of Mufasa, who was considered to be one of the greatest kings of the Pride Lands. Audiences will go back to the African savanna to watch Rafiki tell King Simba and Queen Nala's daughter, Kiara, about her grandfather. Timon and Pumbaa are also around for
The prequel about the rise of one of the greatest kings of the Pride Lands, goes back to the African savanna where Rafiki tells Kiara-daughter of Simba and Nala-the story of her grandfather while Timon and Pumbaa add color commentary.
While the film is Blue Ivy's first formal acting role, she has appeared in several of her mother's music films. She joined the "Texas Hold 'Em" singer in films for Lemonade, Black Is King, and Homecoming, most recently showing off her dancing skills in the Renaissance tour movie, which chronicled her nightly stage takeover throughout the stadium tour.
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