Following the rumours dating back to 2017, and a teaser trailer lacking a certain someone special in 2018, Disney has finally confirmed Beyoncé’s role as Nala in the latest trailer for The Lion King.
Scheduled for release July 19, Beyoncé lends her honey tones to the future queen of the kingdom, and features alongside a bolstering list of co-stars including Donald Glover as Simba, Seth Rogen as Pumbaa, and Chiwetel Ejiofor as Scar. There’s also the welcome return of James Earl Jones, with his ubiquitous sound earning him a reprising role as Mufasa.
“Simba, you have to take your place as King,” Nala/Queen B says in the short clip, reminding the protagonist of his heritage and rightful role. “We need you. Come home.”
The new Disney production is a remake of the classic 1994 film. “The original holds up incredibly well, so the challenge here was to tell a story in a different way but still deliver on people's expectations while surprising them somehow,” director Jon Favreau told Entertainment Weekly.
The trailer serves as notice to the fact that, yes, it’s really happening – Bey is our Nala. And just in case you’d forgotten, The Lion King is technically a musical, so there may be some Bey tunes in the official soundtrack we’ve yet to be blessed with.
You can watch the new trailer below: