Showmax to stream superhero toon Iyanu
African streamer Showmax has picked up the forthcoming Nigerian superhero animated series Iyanu and will launch it in 44 African countries next year.
Commissioned by Warner Bros Discovery-owned Cartoon Network and its streamer Max in the US, the series has been created by Nigerian producer Roye Okupe, founder of YouNeek Studios.
Adapted from Okupe’s graphic novel series Iyanu: Child of Wonder by Dark Horse Comics, it features an all-Nigerian voice cast including Serah Johnson, Adesua Etomi-Wellington, Stella Damasus, Shaffy Bello and Blossom Chukwujekwu.
Set in a magical kingdom, the animated series follows an orphan who must uncover the mystery behind her newfound power to save her people from an ancient curse.
It is produced by Lion Forge Entertainment, the US prodco behind the Oscar-winning short Hair Love. The story editor is Brandon Easton, who headed the Iyanu writers’ room, which also featured Emmy winner Kerri Grant.
The show’s executive producers are 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.
Okupe’s said: “One of the reasons I started YouNeek Studios was because I literally grew up watching superhero stories on DStv in Lagos, Nigeria. 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.”
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 South Africa-based MultiChoice, which owns Showmax with Comcast’s NBCUniversal, said: “It’s an exciting time for African animation, which is winning many of the world’s biggest prizes.
“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, 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.”