The Lion King trailer has been revealed with Blue Ivy Carter joining the cast

Disney has released the first trailer for Mufasa: The Lion King, a prequel to the 2019 live-action remake of The Lion King, and revealed Blue Ivy Carter has joined the voice cast.

Directed by “Moonlight” director Barry Jenkins, “Mufasa” will explore the origin story of the titular lion, depicting his childhood with his brother Taka, also known as Scar, who becomes the main antagonist in “The Lion King.” Aaron Peier and Kelvin Harrison Jr. will voice the younger versions of Mufasa and Scar, respectively. James Earl Jones voiced Mufasa in both the original 1994 film and the 2019 remake. Jeremy Irons voiced Scar in 1994, while Chiwetel Ejiofor took over in 2019.

Several members of the voice cast return for 2019, including John Kani as Rafiki, Seth Rogen as Pumbaa, Billy Eichner as Timon, Donald Glover as Simba, and Beyoncé Knowles-Carter as Nala. Beyoncé's daughter, Blue Ivy Carter, will play Kiara, the daughter of King Samba and Queen Nala. The film was produced in 2019, and is directed by Jon Favreau from a screenplay by Jeff Nathanson, who returns to write “Mufasa.”

It was also revealed that Lin-Manuel Miranda is writing the songs for the film, which he and Mark Mancina produced, with additional music and performances by Libo M.

“Elton John. Tim Rice. Hans Zimmer. LeBeau M. Mark Mancina. Beyoncé, Labrinth, Ilya Salmanzadeh. Beau Black, Ford Riley, the amazing musical team of The Lion Guard, and many more musical contributors over the years. “Miranda said in a statement. “The Lion King has an incredible musical legacy with music by some of the greatest songwriters, and I'm humbled and honored to be a part of it.” It's been a pleasure working alongside Barry Jenkins to bring Mufasa's story to life, and we can't wait for audiences to enjoy it. Experience this movie in theaters.”

New cast members include Tiffany Boone as Sarabi; Kagiso Ledega as Young Rafiki; Preston Nyman as Zazu; Mads Mikkelsen as Kyros, a massive lion who has big plans for his pride; Thandiwe Newton as Taka's mother, Ash; Lennie James as Obasi, Taka's father; Anika Noni Rose as Afia, Mufasa's mother; and Keith David as Masego, Mufasa's father.

“Helping my sister raise two young sons during the 1990s, I grew up with these characters. Having the opportunity to work with Disney on expanding this incredible story of friendship, love, and legacy while furthering my work chronicling the lives and spirits of people within the African diaspora is a dream,” Jenkins said of the introduction. come true”.

The Lion King is one of Disney's most successful films, with the 1994 original grossing $960 million worldwide, with the 2019 remake grossing $1.6 billion at the global box office. The new version was also named one of miscellaneous Critics' Picks in 2019. “If you've never been a fan of The Lion King, nothing here will grab you,” senior film critic Peter Debruge wrote in his review. On the other hand, for those very young who haven't seen it at all, this could be a “A life-changing experience, one that strives to create the kind of understanding between audiences and the animal kingdom that Disney once made a regular part of its mission dating back to the era of films like The Legend of Lobo and The Incredible Journey.”

Watch the full trailer for Mufasa: The Lion King below. The film will premiere in theaters on December 20.