Odunlade Adekola has released the teaser of his forthcoming Yoruba epic Orisa (Deity).
Not only does Adekola direct this film, he also produces it with his Odunlade Adekola Film Production, in collaboration with FilmOne Studios. The latter is also in charge of the film's distribution.
The film is set in an ancient Yoruba city. The titular Orisa, who is played by Ademola, is a powerful warrior who allies himself with a gang of highly skilled warriors, their nefarious activities posing a problem for the king and the other criminal gangs in the city. A mission goes wrong and a dark secret comes to light which threatens to spell doom for Orisa and his claque of warriors.
Alongside Adekola, the cast of this film includes Femi Adebayo, Shaffy Bello, Jide Kosoko, Dele Odule, Binta Ayo Mogaji, Muyiwa Ademola, Eniola Ajao, Iya Rainbow, Mr Latin, Segun Ogungbe, Kemi Afolabi, Ireti Osayemi Bakare, and Eniola Afeez.
It is not the first time Adekola plays the lead in a Yoruba-style epic. Last October, he played Elesin Oba in Biyi Bandele's Elesin Oba, The King's Horseman, a Netflix adaptation of a 1975 play, Death and the King's Horseman by the Nobel Laureate Wole Soyinka.
Adekola, who was voted the Most Popular Actor in the 2022 NET Honours, has also recently played a role in Adebayo's thriller King of Thieves (2022) and Tope Adebayo and Ibrahim Yekini's action film President Kuti (2021).
Orisa will be available in cinemas from July 21, 2023.
Watch the teaser: