John Boyega seals Netflix deal to develop African films

British-Nigerian actor, John Boyega, has announced a partnership with streaming giant, Netflix to develop a non-English language film focusing on West and East Africa.

The Star Wars actor disclosed that the project will be executed via his production company, UpperRoom Production.

Netflix said that the production house “will develop film projects based on stories, cast, characters, crew, literary properties, mythology, screenplays and/or other elements in or around African countries.”

“I am thrilled to partner with Netflix to develop a slate of non-English language feature films focused on African stories, and my team and I are excited to develop original material,” commented Boyega.

“We are proud to grow this arm of our business with a company that shares our vision.”

“Africa has a rich history in storytelling, and for Netflix, this partnership with John and UpperRoom presents an opportunity to further our investment in the continent while bringing unique African stories to our members both in Africa and around the world,” said David Kosse, VP of international film at Netflix.

This partnership comes as Netflix continues to search for ways to penetrate and claim dominance on the continent of more than one billion people.

Since the turn of the year, the streaming giant has commissioned some local productions in Zambia, South Africa, and Nigeria.

Late last month, a high delegation arrived in South Africa to launch its first African original, Queen Sono, a six-part drama. 

Prior to that visit, the team visited Nigeria’s business capital, Lagos to announce their first Nigerian series. 

Since it was launched, Boyega’s UpperRoom production has executed a host of projects across the continent. In 2016, his brand boarded the South African thriller, God Is Good as its executive producer and is overseeing the film’s soundtrack, entertainment news site, Deadline, reported.

According to Variety, the company has been developing a slate of projects across film and TV, including unscripted content, with the day-to-day operations overseen by Yara Shaikh, VP of productions.