Fela biopic moves into pre-production

The long-in-development Fela Kuti biopic has moved formally into pre-production, with a lead actor confirmed, a director attached, and a Lagos-first shooting schedule beginning in the second quarter of the year. The film is a joint production between a Lagos-based independent, an American mid-budget financier, and a European sales agent, with post-production planned across Lagos and London.

The casting choice has been the subject of intense speculation for two years, and the confirmation of a Nigerian actor known primarily for stage work resolves a debate that had drawn public statements from members of the Kuti family. Family involvement in the production has been publicly welcomed by the director, and the estate has been credited as executive producer, which should reduce some of the friction that has bedevilled earlier attempts at the material.

The screenplay, which has passed through multiple drafts, focuses on the late 1970s period and the Kalakuta Republic. That is a narrower window than the earlier drafts, which attempted to cover the full arc from London to Fela's death, and the decision to compress reads as a discipline choice rather than a budgetary one. A tighter timeframe should also allow the film to spend more time on the music, which the earlier scripts tended to under-serve.

Music rights have reportedly been secured for the full period-relevant catalogue, and the film's music supervisor is a Nigerian jazz musician with prior credits on documentary Fela material. Whether the film uses re-recorded performances or the original masters is not yet publicly confirmed. Both approaches have creative arguments in their favour, and the choice will shape how the film sounds in exhibition.

Production begins in April, with a target festival release in mid-to-late 2027. Distribution is not yet locked, but the film's structure — mid-budget, international appeal, culturally specific — makes it a natural fit for the current mid-budget arthouse market that A24, Neon and Amazon have been actively courting. Watch the Cannes and Toronto lineups next year.