Singapore’s August Media Group has boarded “Malika: Warrior Queen,” the new animated feature film from US-based Nigerian writer and director Roe Okupe, creator of the hit animated superhero series “Iyanu.”
August Media, the maker of top animated children’s titles such as George of the Jungle and Netflix’s Gauco, has agreed to fund up to one-third of the production and marketing costs of Marika, an anime-inspired film that reimagines 15th century West Africa through Afrobeat rhythms.
The prominent Southeast Asian group will also oversee the animation production of “Malika” with a team of studios and artists from across Asia who will “bring Okpe’s Afro-animated visual storytelling to life,” according to a joint statement.
“Malika: Warrior Queen” is an adaptation of Okupe’s graphic novel of the same name, which depicts Malika, a queen and military commander who, as the movie synopsis states, “struggles to preserve peace in an ever-expanding empire.” “Malika, who grew up as a child prodigy, inherited the throne from her father in the most unusual of circumstances, dividing the kingdom of Azzaz in two. After years of civil war, Malika was able to unite all of Azzaz and expand it into one of the largest empires in all of West Africa,” it reads.
The feature, which marks Okupe’s leap into big screen work, is produced by Okupe’s YouNeek Studios in partnership with former DreamWorks executive Doug Schwalbe and other partners, with August Media currently serving as co-producer.
Okupe’s Iyanu, set in a world rooted in Nigerian mythology, is the No. 1 series for kids ages 2-12 on Cartoon Network and a top 10 children’s and family series on HBO Max. Produced by Lion Forge Entertainment and based on the graphic novel by Okupe, the show is also the top children’s show on the Showmax streamer, which operates in 44 African countries.
“Roy Okupe’s vision for ‘Malika: Warrior Queen’ pushes the boundaries of what Afro animation can do on the big screen,” Jyotirmoy Saha, founder and CEO of August Media Group, which is the EP for the film, said in a statement.
“We are excited to bring together Asia’s most talented animation studios to help realize that vision,” he added.
Okupe commented, “Moi’s ability to attract talented studios and artists from across Asia to work on this film adds an exciting new dimension to the visual storytelling we are seeking to achieve.”
“This is an international financing arrangement born from the creative fusion of Asian animation and Roy’s unique vision,” Schwalbe said. Schwalbe is producing “Malika” under the DS Films banner along with Emmy Award-winning producer Randy Dormans (“Kung Fu Panda: Legend of Awesome”).
