Over the weekend at San Diego Comic Con, Cartoon Network and Max thrilled audiences with a first-look clip of their upcoming animated series ‘Iyanu,’ an epic superhero saga infused with Nigerian culture and mythology.
Produced by Lion Forge Entertainment, ‘Iyanu’ is an adaptation of the popular graphic novel series ‘Iyanu: Child of Wonder’ by award-winning Nigerian creator and filmmaker Roye Okupe, originally published by Dark Horse Comics/YouNeek Studios.
The series features a talented voice cast led by Serah Johnson, who voices Iyanu, a teenage heroine destined to uncover the mystery behind her newfound powers to save her people from an ancient curse threatening humanity. The voice cast also includes Okey Hude, Samuel Kugbiyi, Adesua Etomi-Wellington, Shaffy Bello, Stella Damasus, and Ike Ononye.
Set in the magical kingdom of Yorubaland, ‘Iyanu’ draws deeply from Nigerian culture, music, and mythology. The series follows Iyanu, a teenage orphan who spends her days studying history and ancient arts but yearns for a normal life. Her life takes a dramatic turn when she unknowingly triggers divine powers not seen since the Age of Wonders. Joined by her friends Biyi and Toye, Iyanu embarks on a journey to uncover the truth about the evil threatening her homeland and to discover her ultimate destiny.
Jude portrays Biyi, Iyanu’s carefree adventurer friend, while Kugbiyi voices Toye, Iyanu’s bookworm friend. Etomi-Wellington voices Olori, and Blossom Chukwujekwu voices Kanfo, Toye’s father. Stella Damasus plays Sewa, Shaffy Bello voices Emi – The One Mother, and Ike Ononye is Elder Alapani.
The first-look clip was revealed during the ‘Crafting IYANU: An Inside Look at Lion Forge Entertainment’s Animated Series’ panel at Comic Con, featuring key members of the creative team. The panel included Roye Okupe (EP/Creator/Director), Vincent Edwards (Supervising Director), Brandon Easton (Story Editor/Writer), Kerri Grant (Writer), and moderator/host Karama Horne (@theblerdgurl).
‘Iyanu’ is slated for release in the US on Cartoon Network and Max in 2025. Watch trailer below.
Brandon Easton, known for his work on ‘Transformers: War for Cybertron: Siege’ and ‘Marvel’s Agent Carter,’ headed the writers’ room, with Roye Okupe serving as the executive producer, writer, and director on multiple episodes. 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.
Lion Forge Entertainment, one of the only Black-owned animation studios of scale in North America, was founded in 2019 by David Steward II as a platform to amplify authentic, diverse voices in the animation and live-action kids and family space. ‘Diverse Stories, Authentically Told’ is the driving motto and mission behind the company.
Currently, Lion Forge Entertainment is producing and co-financing the highly anticipated animated series ‘Iyanu’ for Cartoon Network and Max. ‘Iyanu’ is an adaptation of the graphic novel series ‘Iyanu: Child of Wonder’ created by Roye Okupe and is an epic superhero tale steeped in Nigerian culture and mythology. Other Lion Forge projects include producing the Academy Award-winning animated short ‘Hair Love,’ the Annie and Image Award-nominated ‘Rise Up, Sing Out’ for Disney, the Emmy-winning special ‘The Power of We: A Sesame Street Special,’ the Children’s & Family Emmy Award-nominated ‘Rhymes Through Times’ short series for Nickelodeon, and the Emmy Award-winning short series ‘Drawn In’ in partnership with Nine PBS. LFE recently signed a first-look deal with Nickelodeon for animation.
The company also has a partnership with Penguin Young Readers to develop animated and live-action projects based on selected PYR best-selling books and a strategic alliance with Dentsu to develop projects for global partners and brands. With a robust slate of live-action and animated projects in development, Lion Forge recently formed its own distribution entity to handle foreign sales for LFE and third-party projects, as well as an in-house franchise and consumer products division to build and maximize franchises.
Lion Forge Entertainment is one of the companies under parent Polarity, also owned by Steward. Polarity includes Oni-Lion Forge Publishing Group, which publishes more than 60 original graphic novels each year and owns a deep library of IP. Polarity also owns Magnetic Press and Illustrated Syndicate. Polarity sits alongside the Steward family holdings, which range from music to NASCAR to the NHL and beyond.