[MOVIE REVIEW] Kunle Afolayan’s “Anikulapo” Returns as Series

Anikulapo: Rise of the Spectre  returns March 1, 2024 following its first part which was released in 2022.

Kunle Afolayan produced and directed Anikulapo: Rise of the Spectre, which was made in KAP Film Village in Igbojaiye, Ibadan. The trailer released on Netflix’s official page depicted key events centred on the main character and his beloved Arolake, as well as the fact that Saro (Kunle Remi) is still alive after being left for dead by the King’s warriors in movie.

Anikulapo received 16 nominations for the 2023 Africa Magic Viewer’s Choice Awards (AMVCA) and won five awards, including Best Movie in Africa and Best Soundtrack. Anikulapo: Rise of the Spectre marks Afolayan’s return to Nigerian epic fantasy. In a 2022 interview with the Guardian UK, he discusses his expectations for the project. “I have been working on Anikulapo for six years. Initially, I intended to create a series, but I shopped it and kept telling people that this film would be greater than Game of Thrones. Eventually, Netflix urged me to make a movie first because I believed in the premise so much, and if it was successful, we’d develop a series.”

The series’ original cast, including Kunle Remi, Bimbo Ademoye, Sola Sobowale, Eyiyemi Afolayan, and Ogogo Taiwo Hassan, will return, as will newcomers Gabriel Afolayan, Lateef Adedimeji, and Owo Ogunde.

Anikulapo: Rise of the Spectre will have six episodes and premieres exclusively on Netflix on March 1.