On September 26, 2024, Hollywood publication Variety reported that British powerhouse Idris Elba (Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom) would play Okonkwo in a TV adaptation of “Things Fall Apart”, Chinua Achebe’s iconic 1958 novel. Many Nigerian netizens criticized the casting, arguing that a Nigerian actor should take on the deeply Igbo role. Some others welcomed Elba’s international acclaim, which could elevate the project’s visibility, stating the role has already been portrayed by a non-Nigerian—the late Senegalese actor Johnny Sekka—in an earlier adaptation, Bullfrog in the Sun (1971). However, industry insiders pointed out that adapting a book is an elaborate and costly process that begins with securing rights.
Elba and David Oyelowo (Selma) will serve as executive producers alongside Achebe Masterworks—the body overseeing Achebe’s works, headed by his children, Chidi and Nwando Achebe—and the series will be developed at A24 Studios (Euphoria). However, the ongoing debate about casting not only raises critical questions about who gets to tell Nigerian stories but also highlights the financial limitations of the local film industry. In an X post, Nollywood filmmaker Editi Effiong (The Black Book) said, “It would cost $5m for that single A-list attachment. And probably $30-50m production cost. There’s no amount of great scripts and great actors that overcomes the economic gap. Nollywood simply can’t afford book adaptations yet.”
Even when Nollywood manages to produce a solid adaptation, financial success is not guaranteed; a shining example is veteran filmmaker Tunde Kelani’s Maami (2011).
Maami, an adaptation of Femi Osofisan’s novel of the same name, follows Kashimawo (Wole Ojo), an international footballer returning to Nigeria, confronting a past filled with struggle and a deep bond with his mother (Funke Akindele). Although the film received over 18 nominations and 7 awards, it was a box office failure, earning only 11.9 million naira against a 30 million naira budget. Later, when it went to DVD, it was heavily pirated, resulting in a significant commercial loss that threatened the filmmaker’s career. This was a good film—a good adaptation—but sadly, it was not able to generate monetary profit.
Kelani, not new to the adaptation game, fared better with his next project, Dazzling Mirage (2014), based on Dr. Olayinka Abimbola Egbokhare’s novel. It tells the story of Funmiwo (Kemi “Lala” Akindoju), a young woman with sickle cell anemia, seeking love and purpose amid family issues. Although it featured established actors like Kunle Afolayan, Yomi Fash Lanso, Bimbo Manuel, and Khabirat Kafidipe with special appearances from Fuji legend Adewale Ayuba and Sean Tizzle, it wasn’t as popular as Maami (2011). But it made 13 million naira at the box office and later debuted on Netflix, in 2022.
This trend of securing profit through global licensing is also evident in Bunmi Ajakaiye’s adaptation of Arese Ugwu’s “The Smart Money Woman”, which follows five friends and their struggles with love, life, and finances. After airing in 2020 as a single 13-episode season on Africa Magic, The Smart Money Woman (2020) premiered on Netflix in 2021 with 7 episodes, which are now available on YouTube. Featuring actors like Osas Ighodaro, Kemi Lala Akindoju, and Timini Egbuson, the series has been gaining renewed buzz, especially after dropping teasers for a second season set to return on YouTube in October 2024.
However, in light of the massive attention generated by Idris Elba’s casting in the upcoming Things Fall Apart, one can’t help but wonder why The Smart Money Woman is not making a Netflix return. Would a global star attachment have helped its fortunes? What data did Netflix crunch to not push for an automatic 2-3 season renewal? Also, the fact that Ajakaiye and other filmmakers have to race to global streaming platforms to secure sizeable profits from their adaptations now raises an important question: While the need for compelling adaptations that resonate with local audiences is crucial, is the domestic market buoyant enough to make such projects commercially viable? Even with non-adaptations, the same questions apply. However, one undeniable fact is that the involvement of international studios can alter the financial dynamics.
Much like the upcoming Things Fall Apart, Biyi Bandele’s adaptation of Chimamanda Adichie’s critically acclaimed novel, Half of a Yellow Sun (2013), features lead actors that aren’t Nigerian—a move that was jarring to some people—but the characters of twin sisters, Olanna (Thandiwe Newton) and Kainene Ozobia (Anika Noni Rose), had just returned to Nigeria on the brink of Civil War after years of schooling overseas. So, the accents and intonations of the Hollywood actresses portraying them could be explained away.
The rest of the cast list was a blend of local and international actors. Although the film did not connect with local audiences, it earned a handful international nominations and became the highest-grossing Nigerian film of 2013, following its premiere at Toronto International Film Festival. However, it only pulled in a domestic revenue of 60 million naira against a reported budget of 8 to 10 million dollars. Bandele’s other adaptation, Elesin Oba: The King’s Horseman (2022), is another example of an international collaboration that did not meet local expectations.
In June 2020, Netflix announced plans to adapt Wole Soyinka’s play “Death and the King’s Horseman” in partnership with Mo Abudu’s EbonyLife. This announcement included an adaptation of Lola Shoneyin’s “The Secret Lives of Baba Segi’s Wives”. Fast-forward to 2022, Elesin Oba: The King’s Horseman starring Odunlade Adekola, Omowunmi Dada, and Deyemi Okanlawon was released. While the film received praise for its production quality, many local viewers were disappointed with the storytelling.
Sadly, four years later, there is still no news on EbonyLife’s adaptation of Shoneyin’s “The Secret Lives of Baba Segi’s Wives” for Netflix. While this is a title by a Nigerian production company, it is not just a Nigerian issue. Delays like this also happen in Hollywood with adaptations of Nigerian-inspired literary works, and there have been multiple cases.
In 2017, HBO announced an adaptation of Nnedi Okorafor’s “Who Fears Death” with “Game of Thrones” writer George R.R. Martin serving as an executive producer and Selwyn Seyfu Hinds as the scriptwriter. It has been seven years, but the project remains in development. This is not very surprising, because there have been other times when Hollywood has tried to adapt an African book only to shelf it for some reason.
For instance, in 2019, HBO Max announced that Lupita Nyong’o (Black Panther) and Zackary Momoh (The Nevers) would star in a 10-episode adaptation of Chimamanda Adichie’s 2013 bestseller, “Americanah”. The story follows Ifemelu and Obinze, two Nigerian teenagers in love, who are separated when Ifemelu moves to the U.S. and faces racism. Nyong’o had already secured the film rights to the book a year after its release, along with Adichie’s blessings. Uzo Aduba (Orange is the New Black), Corey Hawkins (Straight Outta Compton), and Tireni Oyenusi (Chicago P.D.) were also attached to the project written by Danai Gurira (Black Panther). However, the production ultimately fell apart due to the COVID-19 pandemic and scheduling conflicts. Even Tomi Adeyemi’s much-anticipated “Children of Blood and Bone” adaptation has faced significant delay, though things seem to be moving in the right direction these days.
When news of “Children of Blood and Bone” first came in 2019, international production houses Fox 2000 Pictures and Temple Hill were slated to make the film, with Rick Famuyiwa in the director’s seat. But the adaptation moved on to Lucasfilm, where it was placed on hold, as the company wanted to focus on other projects. Eventually, Paramount Pictures acquired the rights, and Gina Prince-Bythewood was announced as the director in 2023. But even with its casting underway, the development of the film is still coming along too slowly for comfort.
Despite all the recent updates, there is still a lingering fear that it may eventually join the growing list of Hollywood’s shelved adaptations of African-inspired literary works. And this concern will not fade until the film hits the big screen. One can only hope that the production of the upcoming “Things Fall Apart” will not face similar delays. Because sometimes, Hollywood does manage to get its adaptations of African stories right, as in the case of Beasts of No Nation (2015).
Cary Joji Fukunaga’s Beasts of No Nation (2015)—based on Nigerian-American writer Uzodinma Iweala’s novel—is the story of Agu (Abraham Attah), a young boy, who finds himself in a brutal civil war in an unnamed West African country after his village is destroyed and he is forced to become a child soldier under a ruthless Commandant (Idris Elba). The “American film” filmed in Ghana not only resonates with audiences worldwide but has received over 20 international nominations and awards, including a Screen Actors Guild Award for Elba and the Venice Film Festival Marcello Mastroianni Emerging Actor Award for Attah.
International companies like Red Crown Productions, Primary Productions, and Parliaments produced the 6 million-dollar adaptation with Fukunaga (No Time to Die), Elba, and author Iweala, among others. Although Nigerians hesitate to call Beasts of No Nation (2015) “their own” since it did not spotlight the country or its local actors, the success of the film is undeniable.
So, what is the way forward for film adaptations in Nollywood? A large part of the solution lies in the hands of our filmmakers and industry investors, who must put more effort into obtaining the rights of Nigerian stories and adapting them to film. However, as filmmaker Blessing Uzzi pointed out in a thread on X, wealthy Nigerians would rather spend their money on luxury items than invest in cultural preservation. This highlights a larger issue—without interest from local investors, filmmakers face challenges in bringing these stories to life. The government could also step in by creating a special fund to preserve the cultural integrity of Nigeria’s classic stories under the Federal Ministry of Art, Culture and The Creative Economy. But the rest lies with the local audience, whose active interest or lack thereof determines which projects are commercially viable for Indigenous filmmakers.
This same audience is beginning to recognize the fact that when Africans and those of African descent come together to create projects on the international stage, they often do so with the idea of showcasing impactful “African stories” to the world and generating global appeal using “African actors” and those of African descent. So, if Nigerians want to protect the cultural individuality of “our own” stories—using classic adaptations like Kongi’s Harvest (1970), Ija Ominira (1979), Things Fall Apart (1987), O Le Ku (1997), Saworoide (1999), The Concubine (2007), Owo Eje (2005), The White Handkerchief (1998), and more modern retellings like The Wait (2021), Swallow (2021), Crushed Roses (2022), I Do Not Come to You by Chance (2023), and The Man Died (2024) as the yardsticks of ideal adaptations of Nigerian stories—proper structures must be put in place to ensure that home-based actors and/or production companies can be central to these projects even when funded by international financiers.
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