Nigerian filmmaker Roye Okupe and Lion Forge Entertainment Have Teamed Up for a Female-Led Superhero Series, ‘Iyanu’

Cartoon Network and Max released a first-look clip of the highly anticipated Nigerian animated series Iyanu.

Originally announced in July 2022 by Variety, the 2D animated series is an adaptation of Dark Horse Comics and YouNeek Studios’ award-winning graphic novel series Iyanu: Child of Wonder written by Nigerian creator Roye Okupe, with art by Godwin Akpan. The series won Best Female Character at the 2020 Glyph Comics Awards, honoring creators of color; Best Graphic Novel at 2022 Nommo Awards, recognizing the best in speculative fiction across book formats; and was nominated as Diversity Nominee for the prestigious Dwayne McDuffie Award in 2021.

The “Iyanu: Crafting Lion Forge’s Animated Series” panel at San Diego Comic-Con on July 28, 2024, featured some of the show’s creative team, including Emmy-winner and writer Kerri Grant (Ada Twist Scientist), story editor Brandon Easton (Transformers: War for Cybertron), and supervising director Vincent Edwards (Spider-Man). The lively panel treated fans of the eponymous graphic novels to a first look viewing of this exciting collaboration with West African-centric YouNeek Studios and the Black-owned animation house Lion Forge Entertainment.

Steeped in Nigerian culture and mythology, Iyanu is one of the first global projects to emerge from the country’s exciting up-and-coming animation scene (in the sense that these artists are fighting to be recognized by their international peers), which fans of international animation and speculative fiction should check out below:

According to the show’s official synopsis:

Iyanu is a superhero tale set in the magical kingdom of Yorubaland, which draws from Nigerian culture, music and mythology. Drawing deeply from the rich tapestry of Yoruba people, the animated series follows a teenage orphan girl, Iyanu, who spends her days studying history and ancient arts but yearns for a normal life. One day, responding to danger, she unknowingly triggers her divine powers, the likes of which have not been seen since the Age of Wonders. With newly discovered superpowers, Iyanu joins forces with two other teenagers, Biyi and Toye, as they embark on a remarkable journey to discover the truth about the evil lurking in her homeland. Throughout her adventure, she’ll uncover the truth about her past, her parents, and her ultimate destiny to save the world.

Who is the voice cast for Iyanu?

Serah Johnson helms the series in the lead role of Iyanu, described as “a teenage heroine who must uncover the mystery behind her newfound powers to save her people from an ancient curse threatening to destroy humanity.” (Think the tone of Tomi Adeyemi’s Children of Blood and Bone, but for a younger audience.)

Joining Johnson as Iyanu’s friends are Okey Jude as Biyi, “Iyanu’s carefree adventurer friend,” and Samuel Kugbiyi as “Iyanu’s bookworm friend Toye.” Then, rounding out the cast are Adesua Etomi-Wellington as Olori, Blossom Chukwujekwu as Toye’s father Kanfo, Stella Damasus as Sewa, Shaffy Bello as Emi – The One Mother, and Ike Ononye as Elder Alapani.

One of the of the first places where Black Americans could vacation, Martha’s Vineyard (Oak Bluffs, specifically) was important to the creative forces behind the Harlem Renaissance and others. So, it’s fitting that over the weekend, on August 3, 2024, at the Martha’s Vineyard African American Film Festival (MVAAFF), another member of the Iyanu team was revealed: Nigerian global Afropop superstar Yemi Alade, who will perform the theme song.