Nigerian-British actor, John Boyega, has announced his partnership with Netflix to develop non-English speaking movies focusing on West and East Africa.
Boyega is well known for being cast as a lead protagonist in the 2015 movie Star Wars: The Force Awakens. He played the character named Finn, who was black stormtrooper in the storied franchise.
The Pacific Rim actor disclosed that his production company, UpperRoom Production, will execute the project. Currently, three features are included in the multiyear deal, two from Nigeria and one from Egypt.
“I am thrilled to partner with Netflix to develop a slate of non-English Language feature movies focused on African stories, and my team and I are excited to develop original material,” commented John Boyega.
Netflix said that the production house “will develop film projects based on stories, casts, characters, crew, literary properties, mythology, screenplays and other elements in and around African countries.”
“Africa has a rich history in storytelling and for Netflix, this partnership with John and his production company is a good 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.