Star Wars actor John Boyega is teaming with Netflix via his UpperRoom banner to develop non-English language films focusing on west and east Africa.
UpperRoom 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.”
“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,” commented Boyega. “We are proud to grow this arm of our business with a company that shares our vision.”
“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,” said David Kosse, VP of international film at Netflix.
Netflix has been looking to grow its content out of Africa. Two weeks ago, a high level delegation from the streamer went to Lagos to announce their first Nigerian series before traveling to South Africa to launch the streamer’s first African original, Queen Sono, a six-part drama, which launched worldwide at the end of February.
Boyega co-founded UpperRoom in 2016. As we revealed last year, Boyega has also boarded the South African crime thriller God Is Good as executive producer and is overseeing the film’s soundtrack through his UpperRoom Records label.
