Nigerian-born, US-based writer and director Roe Okupe is gearing up to launch the second season of his animated superhero series Iyanu on March 21st, just as he sets his sights on his next big project, Malika: Warrior Queen.
“Iyanu,” which recently earned three nominations at the NAACP Image Awards, introduced a new type of superhero to U.S. and international audiences. It’s a teenage orphan from Yorubaland (West Africa, primarily the Yoruba region of Nigeria) who discovers that he has divine powers.
Set in a world rooted in Nigerian mythology, Iyanu is ranked #1 series for kids ages 2-12 on Cartoon Network and a top 10 series for kids and families 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.
Okupe is currently taking African storytelling to the next level with the anime-inspired “Malika: Warrior Queen.” The film reimagines 15th century West Africa through the rhythms of Afrobeats, blending “breathtaking action, political intrigue, and deeply human storytelling,” as the synopsis states.
Below, Okupe speaks to Variety about “Malika: Warrior Queen” and his hope that the success of “Iyanu” will help African creators break new ground.
How important is “Iyanu” to you and to African storytelling?
I’m excited about how this show has been received, the fact that there are two seasons and there are also two spin-off movies. Not many creators can say the same about their IP. Especially for me as a first-time creator and showrunner. But I think what this means is that real shows can still sell. They can still travel. I always explain to people that I’m very proud that this story is inspired by Nigerian culture. We want to honor that in the right way every day. And we don’t want to make compromises that take away from the people and the culture this work is inspired by.
Please tell us about your next project “Malika: Warrior Queen”.
Marika: Warrior Queen is a historical fantasy story set in pre-colonial West Africa. One of the things I wanted to do with this story was to really show what an African kingdom was like in a pre-colonial environment. But in addition to that, fantasy is also integrated. It started as a graphic novel and was a success. I signed a 20-book deal with Dark Horse. In 2018, I made a short film based on a graphic novel that went viral. It has about 1 billion views on YouTube. Actually, the first person I dated was Marika, but unfortunately things didn’t get off the ground. Fortunately, “Iyanu” was given the go-ahead, so “Malika” was put on the backburner. But now that I’m out of “Iyanu,” I’m partnering with one of the producers who was on “Honor,” Doug Schwalbe (former DreamWorks executive), and we’re working together on this project.
What we’re trying to do with this story is bring together two things that are very popular in the industry right now: anime and Afrobeats. No one has combined Afrobeats and anime into one project. So music is a big part of what we do at Marika. It’s different from the “KPop Demon Hunter” that people actually sing about. But at the same time, a lot of what we’re trying to do with emotion and storytelling is driven by music, and we’re trying to focus on animation as well. “Iyanu” paid homage to anime. However, since this is a show aimed at children and families, there are certain limitations that cannot be overcome. But with ‘Malika’ we are leaving the door wide open. We really want to tap into what a lot of people praise about anime, which is obviously more mature storytelling and more complex characters going on this journey. “Malika” puts this warrior queen in a position where she feels only strength can save her empire. But then she quickly learned that compassion was her true strength.
What stage is “Marika”?
We are in development. I wrote the first draft of the script. Now, the key is finding the right partner to help you tell your story in the right way.
What do you think about the current state of African storytelling in film?
The history of African storytelling goes back thousands of years. But part of the way stories were passed down was through oral communication with communities, like spontaneous stories around a campfire. Africans are very communal, so stories are very deeply ingrained in their culture. Now, we can finally see more African creators. I think “Black Panther” was something of a turning point. Because until then, I had felt that African storytelling was very niche. But I think when you have a big company like Marvel investing hundreds of millions of dollars into a theatrical film that really celebrates African culture in a way that a lot of people haven’t seen before, that opens the door for people to say, “Well, what more can we see from the continent?” As a result, more people, more producers and more investors are becoming interested. There was a time when we had shows like “Iwájú” and “Kizazi Moto” on Disney and “Supa Team 4” on Netflix. These African shows were all created by African creators and were gaining huge momentum. Unfortunately, there is now less interest and a certain regression. Africa is currently at a stage where many people are looking at Africa, but there is still skepticism about whether African projects can travel. I think shows like “Ianu” prove that it can be done.
