Netflix Signs John Boyega's Production Studio to Expand African Content The deal with the 'Star Wars' actor helps Netflix's push into the African market.
By Rachel England Edited by Frances Dodds
This story originally appeared on Engadget
Netflix is continuing its push to get more African content on its platform by partnering with Star Wars actor John Boyega and his company UpperRoom Productions. The indie production house will be responsible for developing non-English language films focused on West and East Africa, based on "stories, cast, characters, crew, literary properties, mythology, screenplays and/or other elements in or around African countries."
Netflix shared its plans to offer more African shows back in 2018. Its latest African original, Queen Sono, dropped worldwide at the end of February, while another as-yet unnamed series set in Nigeria was announced at the same time. Meanwhile, two further originals, South African teen drama Blood & Water and animated series Mama K's Team 4 are set to land later this year.
Speaking to Variety, vice president of international film at Netflix, David Kosse, said, "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." Estimates suggest that subscriber figures for Africa are currently low, but Nollywood is a multi-billion dollar industry, so the potential for Netflix's growth in Africa as a whole is huge.
