Netflix partners with Mo Abudu to produce Soyinka’s Death and the King’s Horseman
Media services provider, Netflix, has signed multiple deals with media mogul, Mo Abudu’s production company, EbonyLife, to produce a film adaptation of the play, Death and the King’s Horseman by Nobel laureate, Wole Soyinka.
Ebonylife will also produce a series adaptation of the play, The Secret Lives of Baba Segi’s Wives, by Lola Shoneyin.
With this feat, EBONYLIFE becomes the first African and first Nigerian production company to sign multiple deals with Netflix.
Netflix, in a series of tweets on Friday, wrote: “We’ve got MAJOR news for you today! Netflix has partnered with acclaimed producer @MoAbudu to bring you two of Nigeria’s most beloved literary classics to screens around the world!
“A series-adaptation of @LolaShoneyin’s The Secret Lives of Baba Segi’s Wives and a film-adaptation of Prof. Wole Soyinka’s Death And The King’s Horseman!
“Wait…there’s more! @MoAbudu and her @EbonyLife_TV will produce two new Nigerian Originals plus licensed films AND a series for Netflix!
“This na Naija!! Party popper.”
In her reaction to the news, the 55-year-old expressed gratitude to God and the Netflix team, adding “It truly is time to tell our stories and I am super pleased that we have an opportunity to do this now in partnership with the world’s leading internet entertainment service with 183 million paid members in over 190 countries. We really are truly changing the narrative and I am so grateful.”