The Story ⚡
Adesua Etomi-Wellington has been cast to voice the lead role in the animated feature film Malika: Warrior Queen, based on Roye Okupe’s graphic novel series.
Tell Me More
The project adapts Okupe’s Malika: Warrior Queen, a historical fantasy set in a fictional 15th-century West African empire called Azzaz. The story centers on Malika, a prodigy warrior who inherits the throne from her father under unusual circumstances, resulting in the kingdom being split in two. As queen and military commander, she works to reunite and expand the empire while facing internal challenges to her rule, including political dissent and a clandestine civil war among her advisors and chiefs.
Externally, Malika confronts threats from the Ming Dynasty, which seeks to conquer her people, incorporating elements like magical swords, mythical relics, dragons, and a feuding royal family. The narrative draws from West African history and geography, with chapters often prefaced by explanations of cultural or regional inspirations. Malika’s backstory includes a childhood marked by secret training in combat, the early death of her sister, for which she feels responsible, and her rise from a young fighter to a leader balancing military strength with empathy.
Roye Okupe created the series through his YouNeek Studios, initially self-publishing before securing a 20-book deal with Dark Horse Comics in 2021. He will write and direct the film, which uses elevated 2D animation to blend anime’s emotional depth with African storytelling rhythms and Afrobeats-inspired visuals, featuring action sequences and political intrigue.
The production is led by Doug Schwalbe of The Co-Production Company and Emmy-winning animator Randy Dormans, known for work on Kung Fu Panda and Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous. Executive producers include Etomi-Wellington, Erica Motley from Impact X Studios, and Okupe via YouNeek Studios. The film is currently in development, with Okupe writing the screenplay and pre-production set to start soon.
Etomi-Wellington will voice Malika and contribute as an executive producer. She has prior experience in animation, voicing the character Olori—a priestess and caregiver—in Okupe’s separate series Iyanu, an adaptation of his graphic novel Iyanu: Child of Wonder. Malika: Warrior Queen forms part of Okupe’s broader YouNeek YouNiverse, a connected collection of African-inspired fantasy stories.
In Summary
The Malika graphic novels have sold over 100,000 copies worldwide since their release in 2016. Okupe’s Iyanu series, which debuted in 2025, became the top kids’ show on Showmax across 44 African countries and a top-10 title on HBO Max in the U.S., while also airing on Cartoon Network, ITVX in the U.K., and ABC iView in Australia.
This adaptation showcases efforts to bring African narratives to global audiences through animation, highlighting universal themes such as leadership and heritage within a historical fantasy context.
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