By Actor John Boyega (known for his turn in the Star Wars sequel trilogy) has signed a deal with streaming giant Netflix to produce and create films centered on East and West Africa. Working with Boyega’s company UpperRoom Productions, Netflix is using this opportunity as a chance to create more African content for its platform.
In a statement given by UpperRoom, a spokesperson said it “will develop film projects based on stories, cast, characters, crew, literary properties, mythology, screenplays and/or other elements in or around African countries.” Netflix’s VP of international film, David Kosse, added, “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.”
Boyega, himself, said, “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. We are proud to grow this arm of our business with a company that shares our vision.”
The projects are said to be non-English in an effort to bring authenticity to the films. No specifics about what is being cooked up were shared, but this news will likely be a big deal to a lot of people. It’s about time companies started investing in foreign projects. Not everything needs an English language remake.
