-By Adeniyi Onifade
The Covid 19 pandemic hit the movie industry badly to the extent it disrupted production as well as its contributions to the country’s Gross Domestic Product(GDP).
In the year under review, Cinema owners reported a loss of over N1bn monthly due to closure of cinemas and other movie exhibition centers.
Although there is a second wave of the pandemic, the year 2021 looks promising for the Nigerian movie industry as safety measures are put in place to ensure that activities continue.
Here are some of the movies everyone is itching to visit the cinema to watch in the year 2021.
The Six
The Six is expected to be Play Network Studio’s first-ever original production and according to reports, it will be a sequel to the 2018 blockbuster, ‘Living In Bondage: Breaking Free’. It is expected to continue the story of the dreaded cult led by the enigmatic Richard Williams (Ramsey Nouah).
With The Six, Nigerians are curious to see how it all comes together, and we can’t hope that this is a better story than most of the other projects.
King of Boys
In 2018, Kemi Adetiba released ‘King of Boys’, a political thriller about Eniola Salami (Sola Sobowale), a businesswoman with a checkered past. Three years after, she is set to release a sequel, this time exclusively to Netflix.
A teaser posted to Adetiba’s Instagram reveals that Makanaki (Reminisce) gets ample screen time. The original members are expected to reprise their roles with the introduction of new actors such as Richard Mofe-Damijo, and Nse Ikpe Etim.
Domitila
2021 promises to bring back nostalgia for remakes as the 1996 crime drama ‘Domitila’ is set to hit theatres by the first quarter of 2021. It will be directed by Zeb Ejiro.
The sequel will follow the adventures of a young Domitila who accidentally witnesses the mysterious death of a politician. With law enforcement on her and her friends’ trail, she decides to go to any length to prove her innocence.
Ayinla
Veteran filmmaker, Tunde Kelani is set to make a new biopic in 2021 based on the life and times of Apala musician, Ayinla Waheed Yusuf, popularly known as Ayinla Omowura. Ayinla is one of the most original Yoruba musicians of the 70s and was killed in the 80s by one of his band members.
According to the director, this film has been in the works for over three years and is a very important but unusual film.
Death and the King’s Horseman
In June, Netflix Naija announced a collaboration between the billion-dollar streaming company and Mo Abudu’s ‘Ebonylife Productions’. This partnership is expected to have TV series and movies produced by Ebonylife for Netflix.
One of the films on this list is Wole Soyinka’s 1975 play ‘Death and the King’s Horseman’ which is expected to be adapted into a film. It is based on a real incident where the horseman of a Yoruba King was prevented from committing ritual suicide by the colonial authorities.
La Femme Anjola
La femme Anjola is a psychological-thriller film noir about a young male stockbroker whose life is turned upside down when he falls for a femme fatale. This film was one of the most anticipated releases of 2020, but due to events of the year, has been moved to 2021.
The film, which has been in development since 2015, features a star-studded cast including Rita Dominic, and Joke Silva.
Glamour Girls
With a December 2021 release date, Play Studios is going to attempt to pull together a remake of the 1994 classic film about four women who resort to high profile prostitution in order to live more independent lives. While we know little or nothing about it, producer Charles Okpalaeke announced earlier in the year that the film was going to feature 3 generations of female actresses.
Osuofia Goes To Miami
16 years after he last featured in ‘Osuofia in London 2’, Nkem Owoh, is make a comeback with his iconic role in ‘Osuofia Goes To Miami’, a production by Play Studio scheduled for a 2021 release. This comedy will reportedly be directed by Agozie Ugwu and will see Osuofia make a comeback as the film’s lead.
First produced and directed by Kingsley Ogoro, Osuofia in London follows the story of a villager who visits London following the demise of his brother. His attempt to marry his brother’s fiancee in accordance with Nigerian customs results in the film’s major conflict.
Day of Destiny
Day of Destiny or DOD is a collaboration between Anthill Studios, Anaklefilms and Inkblot Productions and is set for a January 1st release date. This film has a time travel theme and explores the sci-fi genre.
In the film, Chidi and Rotimi discover a magical channel to go back in time and change their parents’ financial status, which seems like a very Nigerian thing to it.
With the year kick-starting on a high spirit for filmmakers, the industry looks set for business in 2021, even as the country battles the Covid-19 pandemic.