KEMI ADETIBA BREAKS NEW GROUND WITH TO KILL A MONKEY, PREMIERING JULY 18 ON NETFLIX
Renowned Nigerian filmmaker Kemi Adetiba is stepping out of the shadows of her King of Boys legacy with a bold, genre-shifting new project — To Kill a Monkey, an eight-part crime drama set to premiere on Netflix on July 18, 2025.
Marking her first major venture outside the KOB universe, Adetiba trades the political underworld and fierce matriarchal power struggles for a leaner, darker, and surprisingly male-driven narrative. As creator, director, and showrunner, she steers this gritty tale with the same visual precision and narrative tension that have defined her career — but with a fresh edge.
Notably absent is Adetiba’s longtime muse, Sola Sobowale, whose unforgettable performances in The Wedding Party and King of Boys helped define modern Nollywood storytelling. Instead, the spotlight shifts to William Benson (Crime and Justice Lagos, A Green Fever) and Bucci Franklin (Rattlesnake, Far From Home), who anchor the story with raw intensity.
Benson plays Efemini, a principled yet cornered man battling to stay afloat in a city that keeps dragging him under. Franklin plays his charismatic friend whose flash and flair become both a salvation and a trap. The series interrogates power, desperation, and the moral cost of reinvention.
“In To Kill a Monkey, there are no clear heroes or villains — only choices,” Adetiba teases. “And sometimes, the line between survival and self-destruction is paper thin.”
The supporting cast is equally stacked, featuring a blend of veterans and breakout stars: Stella Damasus, Bimbo Akintola, Chidi Mokeme, Ireti Doyle, Lilian Afegbai, Michael Ejoor, Teniola Aladese, and Sunshine Roseman.
The project was first teased in August 2023, with Adetiba revealing it was already in deep production under the Kemi Adetiba Visuals banner, in collaboration with creative partner Remi Adetiba. Filming wrapped in October, followed by a quiet but intense post-production process.
With To Kill a Monkey, Kemi Adetiba reaffirms her place as one of Nigeria’s most daring storytellers — willing to reinvent herself, and in doing so, Nollywood itself.
The countdown begins. To Kill a Monkey starts streaming July 18 on Netflix.
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