Meet the cast of Mufasa: The Lion King see which iconic characters they're playing
Kevin Winter/Getty Images for The Recording Academy; Shutterstock; Shutterstock
(L-R) Blue Ivy Carter, Beyoncé Knowles-Carter, and Billy Eichner
Check out the cast in Disney's forthcoming Lion King prequel.
Daric L. Cottingham
Daric L. Cottingham (she/her), Deputy Editor of PRIDE.com, is an award-winning news, culture, and entertainment journalist. She is a proud Southern Black trans woman based in Los Angeles holding a mass communications degree from Prairie View A&M University in Texas and a master's in Sports & Entertainment journalism from the University of Southern California. Beyond her career portfolio, which includes the LA Times, Spotify, and freelancing for publications like BuzzFeed, Harper's Bazaar, ESSENCE, The Washington Post, etc., she does advocacy work as a general board member of NABJLA, striving to make the industry more inclusive for Black journalists.
Daric L. Cottingham (she/her), Deputy Editor of PRIDE.com, is an award-winning news, culture, and entertainment journalist. She is a proud Southern Black trans woman based in Los Angeles holding a mass communications degree from Prairie View A&M University in Texas and a master's in Sports & Entertainment journalism from the University of Southern California. Beyond her career portfolio, which includes the LA Times, Spotify, and freelancing for publications like BuzzFeed, Harper's Bazaar, ESSENCE, The Washington Post, etc., she does advocacy work as a general board member of NABJLA, striving to make the industry more inclusive for Black journalists.
Get in, readers; we're going back to the Pride Lands!
Earlier today, Disney released the first trailer for Mufasa: The Lion King a prequel to the 2019 photorealistic remake of The Lion King, and revealed that not only would Beyoncé Knowles-Carter be returning as Nala, but her daughter Blue Ivy Carter has joined the voice cast, too!
As noted in the teaser trailer, this will be Blue's introduction to scripted feature films, which could be very promising for the Grammy-winning star, who has shown interest in art across mediums. She will be voicing Kiara, daughter of King Simba (Donald Glover) and Queen Nala.
Mufasa is born from a screenplay by Jeff Nathanson and the directorial viewpoint of Moonlight director Barry Jenkins. The prequel will explore the titular lion's origin story, depicting his childhood with his brother Taka, aka Scar, who becomes the main antagonist in The Lion King. Aaron Pierre and Kelvin Harrison Jr. will voice the younger versions of Mufasa and Scar, respectively. In the 1994 original film and 2019 remake, James Earl Jones took up the mantle of Mufasa, while Jeremy Irons voiced Scar in 1994 and Chiwetel Ejiofor in 2019.
The trailer drops a few other credits, sharing that some of the 2019 voice cast will return for this forthcoming Lion King film. Those returning include John Kani as Rafiki, Seth Rogen as Pumbaa, and Billy Eichner as Timon.
Joining the Lion King universe in Mufasa include cast members Tiffany Boone as Sarabi; Kagiso Lediga as Young Rafiki; Preston Nyman as Zazu; Mads Mikkelsen as Kiros, a formidable lion with big plans for his pride; Thandiwe Newton as Taka's mother, Eshe; Lennie James as Taka's father, Obasi; Anika Noni Rose as Mufasa's mother, Afia; and Keith David as Mufasa's father, Masego.
And it wouldn't be a Lion King film without some tunes. Lin-Manuel Miranda is penning the film's songs, produced by himself and Mark Mancina, with additional music and performances by Lebo M. Watch the full trailer for Mufasa: The Lion King below. The film will premiere in theaters Dec. 20.
Check out this slide show below to prepare you for our return to the Pride Lands with the Mufasa: The Lion King's cast and who they are playing!
Beyoncé Knowles-Carter as Nala
Shutterstock ; Walt Disney Studios
Beyoncé Knowles-Carter as Nala
Blue Ivy Carter will play Kiara, daughter of Simba and Nala
Kevin Winter/Getty Images for The Recording Academy; Walt Disney Studios
