The mother-daughter duo is teaming up again in Barry Jenkins' 'Lion King' prequel film.
Beyoncé is returning to the cinematic universe of Disney's The Lion King -- and this time she's making it a family affair!
The first trailer for director Barry Jenkins' prequel film, Mufasa: The Lion King, was released on Monday, teasing the story of how the franchise's original King of Pride Rock came into power.
The film is led by Aaron Pierre, who is set to voice Mufasa, while Anika Noni Rose and Keith David will voice his parents, Afia and Masego.
Queen Bey is (once again) set to play Nala, while her eldest daughter, Blue Ivy Carter, 12, will voice Kiara, the daughter of Simba and Nala. Seth Rogen, Billy Eichner and Donald Glover will also reprise their roles as Pumbaa, Timon, and Simba.
As for the upcoming prequel's plot, Disney announced that Rafiki -- played again by John Kani -- will share the story of orphaned cub Mufasa with his granddaughter, Kiara. Mufasa eventually crosses paths with a lion prince named Taka (Kelvin Harrison Jr.), who takes Mufasa in as a brother. "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," a press release reads.
Disney fans who've done their supplemental reading will know that Taka is the birth name of none other than Scar -- a fact that was revealed in the 1994 book, A Tale of Two Brothers, which also revealed how the antagonistic character got his iconic injury.
Lin-Manuel Miranda, whose Disney credits include Encanto and Moana, will join a historic roster of Lion King songwriters by working on the film.
"Elton John. Tim Rice. Hans Zimmer. Lebo M. Mark Mancina. Beyoncé, Labrinth, Ilya Salmanzadeh. Beau Black, Ford Riley, the incredible music team on ‘The Lion Guard,’ and so many musical contributors over the years. The Lion King has an incredible musical legacy with music from some of the greatest songwriters around, and I'm humbled and proud to be a part of it," he said in a statement. "It's been a joy working alongside Barry Jenkins to bring Mufasa's story to life, and we can't wait for audiences to experience this film in theaters."
The prequel to Jon Favreau's photorealistic "live-action" remake (which made more than a billion dollars) was first announced in summer 2021.
Jenkins' movie will "further explore the mythology of the iconic characters," reintroduced in Favreau's film -- where Mufasa was once again voiced by James Earl Jones and Chiwetel Ejiofor played Scar.
When the prequel was first announced, Jenkins said, "Having the opportunity to work with Disney on expanding this magnificent tale of friendship, love and legacy while furthering my work chronicling the lives and souls of folk within the African diaspora is a dream come true."
Mufasa: The Lion King is scheduled to be released in theaters on Dec. 20, 2024.
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