The official trailer for “The Secret Lives of Baba Segi’s Wives,” the feature film adaptation of Lola Shoneyin’s bestselling 2010 novel of the same title, has been unveiled following its selection for the 2026 Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF).
This is coming months after supposed trailers made the rounds on social media.
Produced by EbonyLife Films in partnership with Genesis Group, Nile Media Entertainment Group, FilmOne Distribution and Flytime, the landmark production arrives in cinemas nationwide on December 4, 2026.
Directed by Daniel Oriahi (Sylvia, The Weekend) with a screenplay written by Adze Ugah, the film delves into the chaotic and humorous dynamics of a polygamist patriarch whose household is turned upside down. Baba Segi leads a comfortable life with three wives and seven children until he introduces a fourth wife, Bolanle, a young university graduate whose coming exposes long-buried secrets and disrupts the household.
The feature boasts an expansive ensemble cast starring Odunlade Adekola as Baba Segi alongside Iyabo Ojo, Mercy Aigbe, Bimbo Ademoye, Omowunmi Dada, Shaffy Bello, Bisola Aiyeola, Lateef Adedimeji, Kunle Remi, Tina Mba and Daniel Etim Effiong. Others are Femi Branch, Bimbo Manuel, Bolaji Ogunmola, Rotimi Fakunle, Faithia Balogun Williams, Damilola Adegbite, Nancy Isime, Uzor Arukwe and Mike Ezuruonye.
The cinematic release marks the ultimate destination in an extraordinary cross-media journey for Shoneyin’s celebrated story, which has evolved from page to stage to screen. First published in 2010 to critical acclaim, earning a longlisting for the Women’s Prize for Fiction and winning the PEN Oakland Josephine Miles Literary Award, the novel was later translated into six languages.
The narrative first stepped off the page in 2013 when Caine Prize winner Rotimi Babatunde adapted it for the stage at the Aké Arts and Book Festival in Abeokuta. Directed by Femi Elufowoju Jr OBE, that theatrical version premiered at London’s Arcola Theatre in 2018 to rave reviews before returning for a second celebrated run in 2025.
Initially announced as a Netflix series development in June 2020, the project evolved into the upcoming grand feature film release, representing a major milestone for contemporary African literature on global platforms.