‘The Lion King’ Prequel, ‘Mufasa,’ Gets First Trailer, Blue Ivy Carter Will Play The Role of Kiara

We finally got our first look at director Barry Jenkins’ (Moonlight, If Beale Street Could Talk) The Lion King prequel, Mufasa, and learned that, like the first film, it will boast some serious star power.

Monday (April 29), GMA premiered the teaser trailer for Mufasa, the prequel to 2019’s polarizing live-action adaption of the classic Disney animated film The Lion King.

The trailer gives us our first look at the entirely CGI film, which will bring back those eerily realistic lions and other animals native to the savannahs of Africa.

The teaser is narrated by Rafiki (John Kani) and brings back the same beats from the previous film, like a stampede and lion cubs jumping on other animals, like hippos. It also teases a new location, with a pride of lions chilling on a snowy mountain peak.

The trailer’s narrator hints at Mufasa’s rise to becoming the Lion King we met in the first film by saying, “A lion was born without a drop of nobility in his blood,” and becoming “A lion who would change our lives forever.”

Like The Lion King, Mufasa Boasts Some Serious Star Power

As for the cast, returning to lend their voice talent are Kani as Rafiki, Seth Rogen as Pumbaa, Billy Eichner as Timon, Donald Glover as Simba, and Beyoncé Knowles-Carter as Nala.

Newcomers for Jenkin’s brand-new vision will be Aaron Pierre voicing Mufasa, previously voiced by the iconic James Earl Jones in previous movies, as well as “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; and Mads Mikkelsen as Kiros, a formidable lion with big plans for his pride,” GMA reports.

The name grabbing all the headlines is Blue Ivy Carter, who will make her Hollywood debut as Kiara, the daughter of King Simba and Queen Nala.

The official synopsis for the film puts Blue Ivy’s Kiara at the center of the story as she will be hearing the story of Mufasa’s rise to the throne through the words of Rafiki, as the film will center around flashbacks.

Official Synopsis:

“Mufasa: The Lion King” enlists Rafiki to relay 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.  

Could we see a young EGOT in the making? Maybe so.

The gallery below shows reactions to Mufasa: The Lion King’s first trailer and Blue Ivy Carter’s casting.