Lion Forge Entertainment Partners with Showmax to Stream ‘Iyanu’ Across Africa

Vanessa Obioha

Lion Forge Entertainment production has announced its partnership with Africa’s leading streaming platform Showmax to stream Roye Okupe’s epic Nigerian superhero animated series ‘Iyanu’ across Africa. The production company renowned for its award-winning productions including the Oscar-winning ‘Hair Love’ plans to launch the series in both the U.S. and across Africa in 2025. The series will be available on Showmax in 44 African countries, while U.S. viewers can watch it on Cartoon Network and Max.

“‘Iyanu’ is a series that plays to young audiences everywhere in the world, but its heart and roots are in Africa, where it was conceptualised and created by Roye,” says Lion Forge Entertainment Founder and CEO David Steward II. “This is why we’re so proud to announce a deal with Showmax to stream ‘Iyanu’ in 44 countries throughout Africa. We envision African children being inspired by ‘Iyanu’ – and a superhero world shaped around their own.”

“We are excited that African animation is gaining recognition and captivating audiences both locally and internationally. It’s a pivotal moment for African storytelling not only because we are telling our stories, but that African audiences will be among the first to see these stories come to life,” said Executive Head of Content and Channels, West Africa, MultiChoice, Dr. Busola Tejumola. Showmax Africa, a subsidiary of the MultiChoice Group, was recently relaunched in partnership with NBCUniversal’s Comcast.

The series is based on Okupe’s popular graphic novel series, Iyanu: Child of Wonder, published by Dark Horse Comics, the powerhouse behind the likes of The Umbrella Academy and Hellboy comics.
Set in the magical kingdom of Yorubaland, ‘Iyanu’ tells the story of an orphan who must uncover the mystery behind her newfound power to save her people from an ancient curse.

“One of the reasons I started YouNeek Studios was because I literally grew up watching superhero stories on DStv in Lagos, Nigeria,” says Okupe. “So it would be an understatement to say that I’m delighted that Showmax will be introducing Nigerian children to Iyanu, a superhero who looks and sounds like them.”

Award-winner Serah Johnson leads the all-African voice cast as Iyanu, alongside African Movie Academy Awards (AMAA) winner and Vogue US cover star Adesua Etomi-Wellington, three-time AMAA nominee Stella Damasus, multi-award-winner Blossom Chukwujekwu, and the multi-talented actor Shaffy Bello.

The show’s executive producers are David Steward II and Matt Heath from Lion Forge Entertainment, Erica Dupuis of Impact X Capital, Ryan Haidarian of Forefront Media Group and Doug Schwalbe of Superprod.