TRAILER: Jay-Z’s daughter Blue Ivy makes film debut in ‘Lion King’ prequel

Blue Ivy Carter, the eldest daughter of Beyoncé and Jay-Z, has made her voice acting debut in the highly anticipated Disney prequel, ‘Mufasa: The Lion King’.

In the trailer released on Monday, the 12-year-old lends her voice to Kiara, the lion cub of King Simba and Queen Nala, played by Beyoncé, her mother, and Donald Glover, the US actor.

The prequel dives into the past, exploring the story of Mufasa, Simba’s father, before the events of the 2019 live-action remake.

Rafiki voiced by John Kani, the South African actor, guides young Kiara through the tale, while Barry Jenkins, Oscar Award-winning filmmaker, is the prequel’s director.

Speaking about Blue Ivy’s casting in an interview, Jenkins said he initially had doubts about featuring Beyoncé and her daughter, stating that their enthusiasm quickly dispelled his concerns.

He said the timing of the project coincided with Beyoncé’s Renaissance tour, which he described as a period of immense growth for Blue Ivy.

He said sharing her growth in the movie would be “beautiful”.

“Starting this project, I was like, ‘would Blue Ivy want to do it? Would Beyoncé want to act opposite her daughter? But once we put the question to them, they both responded with enthusiasm,” he said.

“What is crazy is we made the film, and then the Renaissance tour happened, and I think Blue really grew up over the course of that tour.

“So the Blue Ivy you see in this film is like a time capsule. So, I thought there was some synergy. It could be beautiful.”

‘Mufasa: The Lion King’ is set to be in theatres in December.

Born in 2012, Blue Ivy has been following in her parents’ creative footsteps.

In 2020, she won her first Grammy for ‘Brown Skin Girl’, a song from Beyoncé’s album ‘The Lion King: The Gift’.

Watch the trailer below: