Lion Forge Entertainment’s “Iyanu,” an animated series based on Roye Okupe’s Nigerian superhero graphic novel, is set to debut in 2025.
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The show will be available on Showmax across 44 African countries, while U.S. audiences can access it on Cartoon Network and Max.
Set in the magical kingdom of Yorubaland, “Iyanu” follows an orphan who must uncover the mystery behind her newfound powers to save her people from an ancient curse. The series is adapted from Okupe’s graphic novel series “Iyanu: Child of Wonder,” published by Dark Horse Comics.
Serah Johnson leads the all-African voice cast as Iyanu, joined by Adesua Etomi-Wellington, Stella Damasus, Blossom Chukwujekwu and Shaffy Bello. The writers’ room was led by story editor Brandon Easton (“Transformers: War for Cybertron”), with contributions from Emmy winner Kerri Grant (“Doc McStuffins”).
“One of the reasons I started YouNeek Studios was because I literally grew up watching superhero stories on DStv in Lagos, Nigeria,” said Okupe. “So it would be an understatement to say that I’m delighted that Showmax will be introducing Nigerian children to ‘Iyanu,’ a superhero who looks and sounds like them.”
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The series is produced by Lion Forge Entertainment, known for their work on Oscar-winning short “Hair Love.” Executive producers include David Steward II and Matt Heath from Lion Forge Entertainment, Erica Dupuis of Impact X Capital, Ryan Haidarian of Forefront Media Group and Doug Schwalbe of Superprod.
Lion Forge Entertainment founder and CEO David Steward II said: “’Iyanu’ is a series that plays to young audiences everywhere in the world, but its heart and roots are in Africa, where it was conceptualised and created by Roye. This is why we’re so proud to announce a deal with Showmax to stream ‘Iyanu’ in 44 countries throughout Africa. We envision African children being inspired by ‘Iyanu’ – and a superhero world shaped around their own.”
Nomsa Philiso, CEO of general entertainment at MultiChoice, which owns Showmax with Comcast’s NBCUniversal, added: “As the largest producer of African content globally, MultiChoice is delighted that African stories are finally being told largely by Africans, but it’s also time for African audiences to be among the first to see African stories, as a common courtesy. Even today, an Oscar winning film like ‘Nowhere in Africa’ is available to stream, well, nowhere in Africa. There are numerous examples like that but stories about Africa should be told not just with Africans, but to Africans too.”
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