Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith continue to make major strides behind the camera.
Already seismic stars in their own right, recent years have seen the power couple establish a production footprint by way of their company Westbrook Studios.
And their latest pact centers on one of Africa’s most notable media hubs, Nigeria.
Full story below…
According to Deadline, The Smiths have teamed up with EbonyLife Studios, a leading content company in Nigeria, on a slate of co-produced film and television projects. All of which are centered on the African diaspora.
Billed as a first of its kind for Westbrook in the motherland, the venture will see the companies produce at least two series and one film.
This includes the following:
Dada Safaris is an ‘Afropolitan’ dramedy series. It follows four best friends who, after finding themselves at personal and career dead ends, take a leap to the wild side when one of them inherits her late husband’s long-forgotten family-owned safari lodge and invites her friends to join her newfound purpose- renovating and relaunching the business.
In The Gods, a pair of married Cambridge professors set out to find answers to a surge of natural disasters, but find seven long forgotten African gods instead. Enlisting the help of two divine African children who can communicate with the immortals, the unlikely team must find the secret behind the awakening of the gods before the world as they know it is forever changed.
Are We Getting Married? is a comedy feature set in the U.S. and tells the story of the daughter of an embarrassingly wealthy Nigerian family who falls in love with a nerdy but charming African American from Atlanta and their decision to get married. While the couple hopes for an intimate ceremony, their parents have other ideas, and they are faced with the option of either standing their ground or agreeing to have the big Yoruba by way of Atlanta wedding they never wanted.
Speaking on the deal with EbonyLife (which has struck partnerships with Netflix and Sony TV),m Westbrook’s Eli Shibley said in a statement:
“As we set out to focus our initial slate of international content for the studio business across a diversified set of key territories and regions, the creative energy and world-class artistry coming out of Africa is absolutely undeniable. We are thrilled to be working with a best-in-class producer like Mo and her EbonyLife team to tell stories that uniquely celebrate African characters and perspectives and resonate with fans of great film and television around the world.”
EbonyLife CEO, Mo Abudu added:
“We all dream of lofty goals becoming a reality, then one day those dreams come true. I’m proud to announce that our vision of EbonyLife Studios being in partnership with Will and Jada’s Westbrook Studios is now real. Westbrook‘s goal is to create and curate powerful and inclusive content. This is completely in line with our vision at EbonyLife – to tell global African stories from our perspective. Together, we will be developing a slate of projects that reflect our shared goals. We are beyond excited!”
We love to see it!
