Anikulapo, the Netflix original film by Kunle Afolayan, will not get a sequel in form of a feature film.
Instead, the magical realism, epic fantasy drama set in the old Oyo kingdom, will be developed into a series for the global streaming giant, Netflix.
Afolayan, who directed and produced the film, disclosed that the series will soon begin preproduction as a spin-off of the highly acclaimed tale about the supernatural, love and betrayal.
According to a post shared on his verified Instagram page, a spin-off series from the film will commence pre-production in the coming week.
In an Instagram live chat with members of the cast, Afolayan also shared details about how the film was initially intended to be a series, and how he finally settled for the feature film version as an audience test.
Set in the ancient Oyo kingdom, Anikulapo follows an ambitious young man’s quest for fame and fortune. It tells the story of Saro who seeks greener pastures, but unfolding events and his illicit affair with one of the king’s wife, he encounters his untimely death, only to be brought back to life through the power of Akala, a mystical bird, believed to give and take life.
Since its premiere on September 30, Anikulapo has dominated discourses nationally and in the diaspora, also drawing attention to its stellar cast that included Kunle Remi, Bimbo Ademoye, Sola Sobowale, Adebowale Adedayo (Mr. Macaroni), Kareem Adepoju, Sunday Omobolanle (Aluwe), Taiwo Hassan abd several other veteran stars of the Yoruba film industry.
The film, which was inspired by an Ifa corpus narrated by Dr. Ifayemi Elebuibon, has maintained an impressive top 10 spot in over five countries, including the United Kingdom, Kenya, Nigeria and the Bahamas.
