Lion Forge Entertainment has closed a deal with ITVX to stream its epic fantasy superhero animated series Iyanu, based on Nigerian mythology. ITVX has acquired exclusive VOD (including AVOD) rights for the United Kingdom of Great Britain and non-exclusive rights for the Republic of Ireland.
Produced by Lion Forge Entertainment, the Emmy-winning company behind the Oscar-winning short Hair Love, the animated series is adapted from Roye Okupe’s graphic novel series Iyanu: Child of Wonder, published by YouNeek Studios and Dark Horse Comics. Okupe, who was born and raised in Nigeria, is the show’s creator, executive producer and showrunner.
Synopsis: Drawing on Nigerian culture, music and mythology, the animated series follows Iyanu, a young orphan living in the magical kingdom of Yorubaland. While studying history and ancient arts, she yearns for a normal life — until a looming threat awakens divine powers not seen since the legendary Age of Wonders. Accompanied by newfound friends Biyi, Toye and a magical leopard named Ekun, Iyanu sets out to uncover the source of this evil, unlocking her destiny along the way.
Award-winning actress Serah Johnson leads the all-African voice cast as Iyanu, alongside a lineup of Nollywood talent including African Movie Academy Awards (AMAA) winner and Vogue U.S. cover star Adesua Etomi-Wellington, three-time AMAA nominee Stella Damasus, multi-award-winner Blossom Chukwujekwu and Shaffy Bello from The Black Book, described by Wired as “Nigeria’s first runaway Netflix hit.”
Story editor Brandon Easton (Transformers: War for Cybertron, Marvel’s Agent Carter) headed the Iyanu writers’ room, which also featured Emmy winner Kerri Grant (Doc McStuffins; Ada Twist, Scientist). The show’s executive producers are David Steward II, Stephanie Sperber, Kirsten Newlands and Matt Heath from Lion Forge Entertainment; Roye Okupe of YouNeek Studios; Erica Dupuis of Impact X Capital; Ryan Haidarian of Forefront Media Group; and Doug Schwalbe of Superprod.
“We’re so proud to have ITVX as the home for Iyanu across the U.K. ITV are amazing partners and fully recognize the potential of the Iyanu franchise and we have a shared vision for success,” said Steward. “We’re excited for the series to premiere in the UK this summer and know Iyanu will resonate and inspire audiences in the U.K. and around the world.”
Darren Nartey, Senior Acquisitions Manager, Films & Kids at ITV, added, “We are very pleased to be bringing the wonderful Iyanu to the U.K. Our ITVX viewers are in for a treat.”
Iyanu is set to launch this Spring with 26 episodes of 22 minutes. U.S. viewers can watch the series on Cartoon Network and Max, and Lion Forge has previously secured a deal with Showmax to stream the show in 44 countries throughout Africa. The series is set to launch in the Summer in the U.K.
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