“American Gods” star Yetide Badaki and EbonyLife Media founder and CEO Mo Abudu are teaming up on a series about the African warrior queen Nzinga. According to Deadline, Starz is developing “Queen Nzinga,” with Badaki starring and executive producing. Abudu will also serve as EP.
The show “takes place in 17th century Angola and follows [Nzinga’s] transformation from an innocent princess into a fearless warrior queen who wages a ferocious 40-year guerrilla war against the kingdom’s formidable enemies, and the cruel subjugation of her people by Portuguese slavers,” the source describes. “Nzinga would come to sacrifice everything to defend her people’s dignity, liberty, and freedom. On seizing the crown, Nzinga, the first-ever female ruler, decreed – ‘Call me king.'”
Deadline continues, “Thrust into a kingdom ravaged by slavery, ferocious tribal wars, and ruthless male power struggles, Nzinga’s journey is thwart with danger at every turn. She faces a brutal family blood-bath, ferocious battles intertwined with deceptive truces, hair-raising escapes, and depraved enemies. With every part of her that she sheds or is stolen from her, she moves one step closer to realizing her dream of freedom and peace for her people.”
Lionsgate Television is producing. No word on a showrunner just yet.
“It has been a long held dream of mine to bring the story of Nzinga to the screen. Her courage, determination, and passion resonated from the moment I laid eyes on historical depictions of the legendary queen,” said Badaki, who counts “This Is Us” and “The Magicians” among her previous credits. “I am thrilled by Starz’s continued commitment to much needed stories about and by historically excluded voices and the deeply talented team being built to share this epic narrative with the world.”
Abudu added, “The continent of Africa has a treasure trove of stories that are yet to be told. Queen Nzingha is a story that I have wanted to tell for a long time, so when EbonyLife Studios finally found a home for this project at Starz and Lionsgate, it was a dream come true. We are happy to be at the forefront of forging these new partnerships with such an incredible team of creatives, because it is truly about sharing our local stories with a global audience – stories that are historical, authentic, and progressive.”
Via EbonyLife, Abudu has produced features “Fifty,” “The Wedding Party,” and “Òlòtūré,” as well as series such as “The Fattening Room.” Under her new deal with BBC Studios, she is developing “Reclaim,” a six-part heist thriller that sees a woman tracking down and repatriating art stolen from the 16th century Benin Empire.
