The Story⚡
Four women, one impossible mission, and a city about to test everything they believe in. Funke Akindele’s next big swing, The Four, has arrived, and the first images are already asking questions the full film hasn’t answered yet.
Tell Me More
Funke Akindele Network (FAAN TV) has released the first set of images from The Four: No One Fights Alone, the filmmaker’s newest feature, ahead of its global cinema debut on December 11, 2026. FilmOne Entertainment is handling distribution, which alone tells you the scale this project is being built for.
At the centre is Esosa, a woman who, alongside three unshakeably loyal friends, leaves the familiarity of home behind and heads for the city, driven by one goal: fighting for the future of a young man they love. It’s billed as a story about friendship, courage and resilience, and going by the setup, “leave everything behind for the people you love” energy, it sounds like the kind of premise that could hit hard if executed right.
Akindele isn’t just directing a drama here, though. She’s clearly using The Four as a canvas for something bigger: Nigerian identity, front and centre. Adire fabric runs through the film’s costuming, an original song was created specifically for the story, and the film leans into local language, tradition, and setting in a way that promises more than just plot. It’s culture woven into the fabric of the film itself, quite literally.
And then there’s the cast list, which reads like a Nollywood all-star roster: Funke Akindele herself, Bisola Aiyeola, Chioma Akpotha, Richard Mofe-Damijo, Timini Egbuson, Lateef Adedimeji, Ali Nuhu, Uzor Arukwe, Ronke Oshodi Oke, Antar Laniyan, and Wunmi Toriola all feature, with singer Waje and Afrobeats artist Shoday adding star power outside the acting world. Samuel Banks, Kolapo Omotosho and Ayomide Iwasokun round out the ensemble.
First Look
This comes from a filmmaker who has quietly rewritten what Nigerian cinema can do at the box office. Omo Ghetto: The Saga, Battle on Buka Street, A Tribe Called Judah, Everybody Loves Jenifa, and Behind The Scenes have all carried her name, and each one has landed as a commercial heavyweight. She isn’t just Nigeria’s highest-grossing filmmaker by accident; she’s built a formula, and The Four looks like the next test of it.
In Summary
The images are out, the cast is stacked, and the countdown to December 11 has officially begun, but the real story is still locked away in the edit room. If the first look is this deliberate, the full trailer is going to be worth watching closely.
Thanks for Reading.
Shockng.com covers the big creators and players in the African film/TV industry and how they do business.
Let’s be friends on Instagram @Shockng
