that Kiara, of whom Simba is very protective, has inherited her father's rebellious personality and love of adventure. When Kiara befriends Zira's son Kovu, a young lion from an exiled pride of Scar's followers known as the Outsiders, Nala is much more tolerant of their relationship than Simba, and convinces him to offer Kovu a chance to prove himself trustworthy. At the end of the film, Nala gains Kovu as her son-in-law after he marries Kiara. In The Lion King 1½ (2004), which focuses instead on Timon and Pumbaa's friendship, Nala's role is virtually identical to that of her appearance in The Lion King because filmmakers reused most of the character's footage from the first film. Voiced by actress Gabrielle Union, Nala reprises her role as Queen of the Pride Lands in the television series The Lion Guard, the 2016 premiere of which was preceded by the made-for-television film The Lion Guard: Return of the Roar (2015). Set within the time gap in The Lion King II: Simba's Pride, the show revolves around Nala and Simba's son Kion who, being their second-born cub after Kiara, has been tasked with forming the next Lion Guard, a group responsible for protecting the Pride Lands. By the end of season 3, Nala also gains Rani as her daughter-in-law after she marries Kion, who is becoming the king of the Tree of Life and retired as the leader of the Lion Guard. Although a fan of the Lion King franchise, Union avoided watching previous Lion King films in preparation for the role because she wanted to "put [her] own stamp" on the character. On November 1, 2017, it was confirmed that Beyoncé Knowles-Carter would voice adult Nala in Jon Favreau's The Lion King, which was released on July 19, 2019. Favreau felt that "part of [her joining the film] is that she's got young kids, part of it is that it's a story that feels good for this phase of her life and her career, and she really likes the original very much. And then, of course, there are these wonderful musical numbers that she can be involved with, and my God… she really lives up to her reputation as far as the beauty of her voice and talent". The same day Shahadi Wright Joseph was cast as young Nala in the film. Joseph reprises her role from the Broadway production. Joseph choose to