Nigerian writer-director Taiwo Egunjobi has revealed plans to release a guidebook based on his 2025 crime thriller The Fire and The Moth, with the publication scheduled for April 2026.
In an interview with The Nollywood Reporter on Sunday, Egunjobi clarified that the project is not a literary adaptation of the film but a guidebook documenting the ideas and processes behind its production.
“Well, like I’ve done in the past, we have written an ebook about how and why we made The Fire and The Moth. So, it’s not an adaptation, more a guidebook,” he said. “It is an extension of the world of The Fire and The Moth. It’s part archive, part artistic statement, and part educational tool.”
Egunjobi said one of the key motivations behind the project is the need to preserve creative processes in an industry that moves quickly.
“Nollywood moves fast and too fast sometimes. We rarely document the thinking behind our choices, the visual language, the character development, the production design. A guidebook becomes a time capsule,” he explained.
He added that the publication could also serve as a learning resource for emerging filmmakers who may not have access to formal film education or mentorship.
“There are many young filmmakers in Nigeria who are hungry to learn, but they don’t always have access to film schools or mentors. A guidebook like ours breaks down the filmmaking process; direction, cinematography, production design, casting,in a way that’s practical and rooted in our own context,” he said.
According to Egunjobi, the guidebook can also support film marketing and audience engagement, particularly in the streaming era where theatrical runs are often shorter.
The Fire and The Moth, written by Isaac Ayodeji and produced by Emiola Fagbenle, was officially selected for the NOW Film Festival. The crime thriller stars Tayo Faniran, William Benson, Jimmy Jean-Louis, and Joshua Israel.
The film explores themes of greed, history, and the consequences that follow those who refuse to turn away from crime.
With the upcoming guidebook, Egunjobi hopes to give Nollywood audiences and filmmakers a deeper look into the creative process behind the film.