Nigerian superhero series “Iyanu” to premiere in 2025

Lion Forge Entertainment

Lion Forge Entertainment’s “Iyanu,” an animated series based on Roye Okupe’s Nigerian superhero comic, is scheduled to premiere in 2025.

The show will be available on Showmax in 44 African countries, while US audiences will be able to access it via Cartoon Network and Max.

Set in the magical kingdom of Yorubaland, “Iyanu” is about an orphan who must uncover the secret behind his newfound powers in order to save his people from an ancient curse. The series is based on Okupe’s graphic novel series “Iyanu: Child of Wonder,” published by Dark Horse Comics.

Serah Johnson leads the all-African voice cast as Iyanu, supported by Adesua Etomi-Wellington, Stella Damasus, Blossom Chukwujekwu and Shaffy Bello. The writing team 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,” Okupe said. “So to say I’m thrilled that Showmax will introduce Nigerian children to ‘Iyanu,’ a superhero who looks and sounds like them would be an understatement.”

The series is produced by Lion Forge Entertainment, known for their work on the Oscar-winning short film “Hair Love.” Executive producers include David Steward II and Matt Heath of Lion Forge Entertainment, Erica Dupuis of Impact X Capital, Ryan Haidarian of Forefront Media Group and Doug Schwalbe of Superprod.

David Steward II, Founder and CEO of Lion Forge Entertainment, said: “‘Iyanu’ is a series that will appeal to young viewers around the world, but its heart and roots lie in Africa, where it was conceived and created by Roye. That’s why we’re so proud to announce a deal with Showmax to stream ‘Iyanu’ in 44 countries across Africa. We envision African children being inspired by ‘Iyanu’ – and building a superhero world around their own.”

Nomsa Philiso, CEO of general entertainment at MultiChoice, which owns Showmax along with Comcast’s NBCUniversal, added: “As the world’s largest producer of African content, MultiChoice is delighted that African stories are finally being told largely by Africans, but it is also time that African audiences were the first to see African stories, as a matter of course. Even today, an Oscar-winning film like Nowhere in Africa can be streamed, well, nowhere in Africa. There are numerous examples of this, but stories about Africa should not just be told with Africans, but by Africans.”