As filming activities gains momentum in 2022, ace film producer and director, Kunle Afolayan, is calling the Big shots, yet again.
A new film is well underway on location and the award-winning filmmaker has formally released the title of the latest project.
And the multi-million naira epic movie shall be known as ‘Anikulapo’, according to a blog post on Afolayan’s production outfit website.
It is the second offering from his three-movie deal with Netflix.
The first, being ‘Swallow’ which was adapted from a book (of the same title) by acclaimed author Sefi Atta was released on the global streaming platform as a Netflix original on October 1, 2021.
Anikulapo, which literally translates to “he who has death in his pouch”, could also mean “he who has conquered death”, “he who is indebted to death” or “he who is greater than death”.
But the filmmaker insists that the riddle will remains unsolved until the film project is completed and released for all to see.
The movie is set in the 17th century and old Oyo empire and is being shot at the film Village and resort which Afolayan is erecting in his maternal home town of Komu-Igbojaye in the North of Oyo State.
“This entire production isn’t only audacious by virtue of the story but because it is the birth of a new dawn…
“We are witnessing in our days, the appreciation and rebirth of the almost dying Yoruba culture, we are experiencing the rise of hope for the heritage that was once thought to be lost,” the blog post partly reads.
The filmmaker had recently likened the new film to the popular HBO series, ‘Game of Thrones’ with the caveat that the one being shot in Nigeria would have a better representation of the Yoruba culture.
Afolayan also enthused about his KAP Film Village, Studio & Resort at Komu-Igbojaye in Itesiwaju Local Government of Oyo State.
The film village sits on a mass of land totalling 40 acres, which Afolayan recently acquired and where ‘Anikulapo’ is currently being shot with all the infrastructures being built from scratch.
“Basically, think Hollywood (the location and infrastructure), think KAP Film Village, Studio & Resort, because Kunle Afolayan isn’t building for the purpose of this movie alone but for the purpose of constant and repeated use,” the post said.
For more than three weeks, the movie set is beaming with a star vast, boasting of appearances of the finest actors including the likes of the Hollywood-based Hakeem Kae Kazeem, Sola Sobowale, Kunle Remi, Bimbo Ademoye, Taiwo Hassan, Fathia Balogun, Adebayo Salami, Moji Olayiwola, Kareem Adepoju a.k.a Baba Wande and many others.
The movie is expected to premiere on Netflix later this year.