Kunle Afolayan didn't initially want to name his Netflix film 'Anikulapo'

Award-winning filmmaker, Kunle Afolayan didn't always want his hit Netflix film to be titled Anikulapo.

On March 1, 2024, Netflix will debut the highly anticipated four-part series spinoff of the film, Anikulapo: Rise of the Spectre, which picks up from where the original feature film released in 2022 ended.

According to Afolayan in an Instagram post on Wednesday, January 31, 2024, the movie was initially titled Odu.

"It was nine years ago when the visionary director Kunle Afolayan gathered a cadre of creatives and scholars like, writer Tunde Babalola, Professor Tunji Azeez, Ropo Ewenla and others at his house, then in the heart of Ibadan," he said on Instagram.

"The mission: A brainstorming session for a series titled ODU, envisioned as an epic saga set in the Oyo Empire, akin to the Game of Thrones. An idea was born, but the timing was not yet ripe," he added.

He went on to add that everything has worked out as it should.

"Reflecting on those years, it becomes apparent that the gestation period, the patience, and the wait were all integral elements of a process that birthed something extraordinary. If Anikulapo had seen the light all those years ago, we might not have beheld the magic that graces our screens today," he added.

Directed by Afolayan, the cast includes Kunle Remi, Bimbo Ademoye, Adebayo Salami, Owobo Ogunde, Gabriel Afolayan, Adedimeji Lateef, Uzee Usman, Eyiyemi Afolayan, Layi Wasabi, Moji Afolayan, Aisha Lawal, Ronke Oshodi, Jide Kosoko, Adeniyi Johnson and Funky Mallam.

Anikulapo: Rise of the Spectre was solely shot at the Kunle Afolayan Production (KAP) Film village in Oyo with a cast and crew of 600 people. Upon its debut in March, the series will be available for streaming in 190 countries.