From feature films to animations and short films, Nollywood has a growing catalogue of adaptations that bring beloved stories to the screen.
For book lovers, there’s nothing quite like watching a favorite novel reimagined on screen. The success of such adaptations often depends on key elements: a clear directorial vision, a screenplay that captures the essence of the book, and casting decisions that bring the characters to life.
Film adaptations hold a special place in cinema, with some enthusiasts considering them the pinnacle of filmmaking when executed skillfully. A well-crafted adaptation captures the soul of the source material, breathing life into cherished characters and immersing audiences in familiar yet newly curated worlds.
Iconic adaptations like The Lord of the Rings trilogy, Harry Potter series, Game of Thrones, To All The Boys I Have Loved have transcended their origins to become cultural phenomena, setting benchmarks for how literature can be transformed into compelling visual narratives.
Nollywood, while predominantly known for its original storytelling, has begun exploring adaptations with mixed results. Though not every attempt has succeeded, international collaborations have helped elevate some projects, providing the resources needed. With Nigeria’s extraordinary literary heritage spanning generations of brilliant writers, the industry has untapped potential.
From animated features to full-length dramas, adaptations offer Nollywood diverse creative avenues. The key lies in approaching each project with the respect, resources, and creative vision that great literature deserves, and also potentially introducing global audiences to the depth and diversity of Nigerian storytelling. Here are some Nollywood films that inspired by books.
- Half Of A Yellow Sun
This is a Anglo-Nigerian drama film directed by Biyi Bandele and based on the novel of the same name by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, that became instantly successful in the United States and Nigeria. The film is historical fiction that follows two sisters who are caught up in the outbreak of the Nigerian Civil War. It stars Chiwetel Ejiofor, Thandiwe Newton, Onyeka Onwenu, Anika Noni Rose, Joseph Mawle, Genevieve Nnaji, OC Ukeje and John Boyega. Filmed in Nigeria, the film premiered in the Special Presentation section at the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival. It is available to watch on
- Things Fall Apart
Things Fall Apart is legendary author Chinua Achebe’s debut and is regarded as a milestone in African literature. One of its highlights is that it was listed on Time’s “100 Best English-language novels from 1923 to 2005.” The story, which is set in British Nigeria, centers on Okonkwo, a traditional influential leader of the fictional Igbo clan Umuofia, who opposes colonialism and early Christianity.
The novel has had several adaptations, including the radio drama Okonkwo released in 1961 by the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA), which starred Pete Edochie as Okonkwo. as well as the 1971 film with the same title, which starred Princess Elizabeth of Tooro. Most recently, a new TV series adaptation is in development at A24, starring and executive produced by Idris Elba as Okonkwo, alongside David Oyelowo. Elba’s 22 Summers, and Oyelowo’s Yoruba Saxon Productions are collaborating on the series. It doesn’t have a release date yet.
- Beasts of No Nation
Beasts of No Nation is a novel by the Nigerian-American author Uzodinma Iweala, that takes its title from Fela Kuti’s 1989 album of the same name. The book won the 2005 Art Seidenbaum Award for First Fiction and was adapted as a movie in 2015, written, co-produced, shot, and directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga. It follows a young boy who becomes a child soldier as his country experiences a horrific civil war.
Shot in Ghana and starring Idris Elba, Abraham Attah, Ama K. Abebrese, Grace Nortey, David Dontoh, and Opeyemi Fagbohungbe, the film was screened in the main competition section of the 72nd Venice International Film Festival, where Attah won the Marcello Mastroianni Award and the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival. It was released on Netflix globally being the first film to be released directly on Netflix. The film received positive reviews from critics and numerous accolades as Elba’s performance earned nominations for the BAFTA, Golden Globe, Spirit, and SAG Award for Best Supporting Actor, winning the latter two.
- Passport Of Mallam Illia
Published in 1960, twelve years after it was written, the Passport of Mallam Ilia is an important classic for both young and old readers. Currently in the final stage of production by Magic Carpet Studios, it is a 2D animation project based on the story of Mallam Ilia who spent a greater part of his life seeking revenge for wrong done to him. Set mainly in Kano, the project, which began in 2018, features 173,000 hand-drawn frames, a $2 million budget, and is set to be released in 2026 with teasers and a trailer released.
- Swallow
Swallow is an adaptation of Sefi Atta’s 2010 novel of the same name, written by Atta and co-written with director Kunle Afolayan, marking it as Atta’s first screening credit. Released in 2021, the Netflix film is set in mid-1980s Lagos, Nigeria, and follows a naive bank secretary who becomes a drug mule for a period. It explores themes of workplace sexual harassment, poverty, and a woman’s journey of self-discovery within a repressive military regime. It is available to watch on Netflix.
- Elesin Oba: The King’s Horseman
Based on a stage play, Death and the King’s Horseman, Elesin Oba written by Wole Soyinka, The King’s Horseman is an historical drama adapted to screen and directed by Biyi Bandele and distributed by Netflix, based on Wole Soyinka’s Death and the King’s Horseman. And it is based on a real incident that took place in Nigeria during the colonial era: the horseman of a Yoruba King was prevented from committing ritual suicide by the colonial authorities. In addition to the intervention of the colonial authorities, Soyinka calls the horseman’s own conviction toward suicide into question, posing a problem that throws off the community’s balance.
The film stars Odunlade Adekola as the titular character, with Shaffy Bello, Brymo, Deyemi Okanlawon, Omowunmi Dada, Jide Kosoko, Langley Kirkwood, Joke Silva. The movie premiered at the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) in 2022 and was released in the cinemas the same year.
- Zikoko Life Series
The Zikoko Life series is an anthology film series that premiered in 2025 from Zikoko, an imprint of Big Cabal Media in collaboration with BluHouse Studios, that adapts its popular Naira Life, Sex Life, and Love Life editorial franchises into individual short films focusing on themes of love, sex, and money through the experiences of Nigerian women. Created by Anita Eboigbe and showrun by Blessing Uzzi, the series includes the films; What’s Left of Us, Something Sweet, and My Body, God’s Temple, which delivers raw, honest, and unfiltered storytelling in line with the Zikoko articles that inspired them. It is available to watch on YouTube.
- The Smart Money Woman
The Smart Money Woman is a TV series based on a 2016 novel of the same name by Arese Ugwu which premiered on Africa Magic Showcase and Netflix. It was executively produced by the writer of the novel, Arese Ugwu and produced by Isoken Ogiemwonyi, Akintunde Marinho, Kemi Lala Akindoju. It stars Osas Ighodaro, Timini Egbuson, Ini Dima-Okojie, Kemi Lala Akindoju. The book tackles debt, spending, the consumerist culture of the African middle class, the fear and misconceptions surrounding money and the lack of it, love, friendships, cultural and societal pressures and the roles they play in success.
- The Secret Lives of Baba Segi’s Wives
This is Lola Shoneyin’s debut book which was shortlisted for the prestigious Women’s Prize for Fiction in 2011. The novel follows Baba Segi of the Alao family, his four wives and seven children, during the period that his fourth wife, a university graduate, is within the household. The novel deals with the cultural pressures on the infertile and impotent within a polygamous society, as well as with the universal themes of rape, domestic abuse, marital property rights, girls’ education, jealousy and power relations in a family. The novel has been adapted for the stage by the Arcola Theatre in London. Shoneyin has reportedly signed a deal with Mo Abudu to make her book into a Netflix series, possibly to be filmed in Nigeria.
- Children of Bone and Blood
Children of Blood and Bone is a fantasy film directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood, who co-wrote the screenplay with Tomi Adeyemi, based on the 2018 novel of the same name by Adeyemi. The book, which is Adeyemi’s debut novel and the first in her Legacy of Orïsha trilogy, follows Zélie as she attempts to restore magic to the kingdom of Orïsha, following the ruling class kosidáns’ brutal suppression of the class of magic practitioners Zélie belongs to, the maji. The film will feature Thuso Mbedu, Tosin Cole, Amandla Stenberg, Damson Idris, Lashana Lynch, Idris Elba, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Cynthia Erivo, Viola Davis, Ayra Starr, and Regina King. The principal photography recently concluded and it is scheduled to be released by Paramount Pictures in the United States in 2027.
- I Do Not Come to By Chance
I Do Not Come to You By Chance is Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani’s award winning debut novel that follows Kingsley Ibe, a newly minted engineering graduate from an upstanding middle-class family. After a crisis plunges his family into financial distress and unable to find a job, he turns to his uncle Boniface in desperation. Known as Cash Daddy, Boniface is an email scammer and “419” kingpin— named after the 419 section of the Nigerian criminal code—and willingly draws Kingsley into the dark underbelly world of email scamming.
The film adaptation which was directed by Ishaya Bako and was executively produced by Genevieve Nnaji, premiered at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) and African International Film Festival (AFRIFF).