Small Screen: ‘Ugly Betty's,’ South African Adaptation, Antoine Fuqua Helms 'Shaka Zulu' Reboot
Broadcast: Former MTV VJ, Farieda Metsileng will play Bettina Sikhakane in the upcoming SABC1 adaptation of Ugly Betty: uBettina Wethu. The show will be produced by SABC and the South African production company Know Associates Entertainment. It will broadcast on SABC1 and stream on VIU. Tshepiso Sello is attached as a producer with Coconut Kelz playing the role of Zaza Moloi, Zweli Dube playing Dingaan Jiyane (Bettina's love interest), and Tsholofelo Mashishi playing Dingaan's mother. The show will highlight the life of Bettina Sikhakane "a wholesome, intelligent, but gawky, people-pleaser with a dated, unsophisticated sense of style, who finds her self-worth and image challenged when she is employed at Nubia - a brand management company, a place where at times people value image over substance".
The CW’s Two Sentence Horror Stories is coming back for a third season helmed by Lisa Morales, the writer, and producer of Queen Sugar. Morales will be the showrunner and executive producer of the horror anthology series from Warner Bros. Stage13. According to Senior VP and GM of Stage13, Diana Mogollón, “Two sentence Horror Stories is a very significant series in not only the social issues it addresses within the horror trope but in its clear purpose featuring BIPOC and LGBTQ+ stories and talent... Season two continued to push the dialogue of social and psychological fear, and season three will elevate that further with this best-in-class team.” The production team will feature a strictly all-female filmmaking team. This lineup includes Liz Alper (a writer on The Rookie and story editor of Chicago Fire) as a producer, as well as Stephanie Adams-Santos and Sehaj Sethi as story editors alongside Lekethia Dalcoe, a playwright and actor.
Antoine Fuqua - Daniele Venturelli
Cable: Showtime has ordered a series titled Shaka: King of the Zulu Nation from executive producer Antoine Fuqua. It was created and written by Olu Odebunmi and Tolu Awosika. Showtime describes it as: "[It] tells the story of the Zulu Empire chief Shaka and his unlikely rise to power, uniting multiple tribes across vast stretches of Africa in the early 19th century to transform his power into legend, on par with history’s most seminal figures. In ferocious battles that test the body and soul, in alliances that test the bonds of love and friendship, a complex sociological system plays out that renders the human cost front and center, for the victors as well as the vanquished, all in an effort to carve out a semblance of identity, fulfillment and ultimately, survival." Propagate’s Ben Silverman and Rodney Ferrell are bringing the story to life with the help of CBS Studios. Odebunmi and Awosika will also be executive producers on the project with Antoine Fuqua directing.
Demián Bichir, who was nominated for an academy award for A Better Life, is set to star in a television adaptation of the best-selling book and film “Let the Right One In”. The pilot was ordered by Showtime and will have Andrew Hinderacker attached as showrunner with Seith Mann as director of the pilot and executive producer. Bichir plays Mark, a father to his 12-year-old daughter Eleanor. Their lives and their relationship were drastically altered after Eleanor was bitten and turned into a vampire a decade earlier. The show is a thrilling, high-stakes drama that shows what lengths a parent will go to protect their child.
Streaming: Netflix is bringing more Naija stories to the platform. It has been officially half a decade since Netflix launched in Nigeria. Since that time, there has been a rise in Nollywood series, and Netflix Director of Content in Africa, Ben Amadasun has worked to forge impenetrable bonds with creators such as Kunle Afolayan. Afolayan is known for his works such as The CEO, October 1, The Figurine, and most recently, Citation. Through his content, he has been able to shine a light on Nigerian culture, history, and cuisine. Kunle is the epitome of Naija and will have three projects coming to Netflix later this year. To get the inside scoop, right from the tap, Amadasun sat down with Kunle for a zoom. Watch the full video here.
Earlier this week Apple announced a multiyear programming partnership with Malala Yousafzai, women's rights activist and the youngest ever Poet Laureate, and her newly formed production company Extracurricular. Yousafzai is known for publishing her memoir “I am Malala in 2016, starring in a documentary about her life and working with Apple to create Assembly - a digital publication for girls and young women. Her long-lasting relationship with Apple has helped her to expand into original programming. It will cover different genres such as dramas, comedies, documentaries, and children’s series. These will all draw from her ability to inspire people with her experience and story.
A24 is teaming up once again with recent Oscar-nominated actor Steven Yeun of Minari fame. He will star alongside Ali Wong, Always Be My Maybe, in an untitled dramedy. Netflix, Amazon, FX, and Apple have all been trying to grab the rights for this limited series which was pitched earlier this week. Both Wong and Yeun are also going to be executive producers alongside Lee Sung Jin (the writer/creator). Jin is currently a co-executive producer on the hit show Dave. They are currently keeping the longline under wraps at the moment but the series will be 10 episodes at 30 minutes apiece.
