Mufasa: The Lion King Trailer Confirms Returning Actors Beyoncé and Donald Glover

Donald Glover and Beyoncé Knowles-Carter reprise their voice roles from 2019's The Lion King.

By Timothy Adams

Beyoncé and Donald Glover are reprising their voice roles for the new Walt Disney Studios film Mufasa: The Lion King. Disney is going back in time to tell the origin story of Mufasa in a prequel to 2019's photorealistic The Lion King, which saw Donald Glover and Beyoncé Knowles-Carter voice Simba and his childhood friend and future queen, Nala, respectively. A teaser trailer for Mufasa: The Lion King offers a look into Mufasa's early days, while also confirming the two heralded actors are returning, with Mufasa: The Lion King taking place in the future while also flashing back to the past.

The synopsis for Mufasa: The Lion King reveals that along with Beyoncé and Donald Glover, Beyoncé's daughter Blue Ivy Carter will make her Lion King debut as Kiara, daughter of King Simba and Queen Nala. So it goes without saying that Kiara will be shown in the "present day," with her hearing the tale of her grandfather Mufasa from Rafiki's story. Blue Ivy has kept busy as a feature dancer in Beyoncé's Renaissance tour. One of those performances came in the song "My Power," which was on the soundtrack of Beyoncé's visual album The Gift for 2019's The Lion King.

"A buddy of mine, Matthew Cherry, made the short film called Hair Love that Blue Ivy did the audio book of. Starting this project and just having that in the ether, I was like, 'Is it worth a shot? Would Blue Ivy want to do it? Would Beyoncé want to act opposite her daughter? Is it too close to home?'" Mufasa director Barry Jenkins told Entertainment Weekly. "But once we put the question to them, they both responded with enthusiasm."

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What is Mufasa: The Lion King about?

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.   

Mufasa: The Lion King is scheduled to arrive in theaters on December 20th, just in time for the holiday season.

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