Nollywood looks to Nigerian novels for next blockbuster

The announcement by Netflix at the MIP Africa that it is collaborating with Akin Omotoso, a South African-based Nigerian filmmaker, and Ochre Moving Pictures for multiple book adaptations, shows that Nollywood investors are leaving no stone unturned for the next blockbuster.

Adaptation of novels into movies is on the rise in Africa’s largest movie industry, Nollywood. On Thursday the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) will also be premiering a similar movie project, ‘I Do Not Come to You By Chance’ a movie adaptation of the novel of the same name written by Tricia Nwaubani. The movie of the brainchild of Genevieve Nnaji, and has also been acquired by Netflix.

During a panel entitled ‘See What’s Next on Netflix’, Bem Amadasun, vice president of Content for Middle East and Africa, Netflix, said the global streaming platform has signed an agreement with local filmmakers like Omotoso for multiple title partnerships.

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On the Ochre Moving Pictures website, five novels are currently under production and, which be part of the deal with Netflix.

“The African Book Club acquires television adaptation rights to classic contemporary African literary works targeting the global African diaspora, and international viewers who are attracted to the universal themes and the unique context of African storytelling. The African Book Club brings with its slate of titles a selection of experienced and original voices from the community of African screenwriters,” Ochre noted on the website.

These novels include Helon Habila’s ‘Waiting for an Angel’; ‘Pirates’ a novel based on a series of newspaper essays by Femi Osofisan titled ‘Tales The Country Told Me’; ‘Midlands’ written by investigative journalist, John Steinberg; ‘Ibadan’ a 4 by 48 drama series adapted by Titilope Sonuga and based on the memoirs of Wole Soyinka; and ‘Every Day is For The Thief’, a 4 by 48 drama series adapted by Joseph Adesunloye and based on the novel by Teju Cole.

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Akin Omotoso the co-producer of the recent blockbuster Gangs of Lagos, Amazon Prime’s first original, has a history with the Nigerian literary circle. His younger sister Yewande Omotoso is the author of The Woman Next Door which was shortlisted for the International Dublin Literary Award and longlisted for the Baileys Women’s Literature Prize. Femi Osofisan and Wole Soyinka are also callers of the Omotoso household.

Netflix has been paying more attention to the vast collections of the Nigerian literary space. Aside from ‘I Do Not Come To You By Chance’ by Genevieve Nnaji set to be premiered in September, there was ‘Elesin Oba: The King’s Horseman’ which was released in 2022. The movie was directed by the late Biyi Bandele.