Actor Kunle Remi, who played the lead character Saro in Anikulapo, has been removed by Kunle Afolayan from the list of returning cast members for the show’s second season.
Filmmaker Kunle Afolayan recently took to Instagram to officially reveal both returning and new cast members for the much-anticipated second season of Anikulapo.
In a series of posts on Monday, October 7th, 2024, he confirmed that Netflix has renewed the show, following the success of its first season named Aníkúlápó: Rise of the Spectre.
The director also gave a preview of the upcoming season, which will explore Nigerian history and culture more deeply, including themes related to the transatlantic slave trade.
Returning cast members include actors like Sola Sobowale, Bimbo Ademoye, Gabriel Afolayan, Owo Ogunde, Aisha Lawal, and Eyiyemi Afolayan.
However, the absence of Kunle Remi, who portrayed Saro—the central character in season one—has sparked curiosity and raised some eyebrows.
Saro’s character was central to the first season, portraying a man in search of a better life whose fate takes a tragic turn after an affair with the king’s wife, Arolake.
Following his untimely death, Saro is brought back to life by Akala, a mystical bird with the power to grant and take life.
Armed with this newfound ability to control death, Saro rises to prominence in the village of Ojumo but falls victim to his own pride, making reckless demands to raise the dead, ultimately leading to his downfall.
The first installment of Anikulapo, a Netflix original, premiered on September 30, 2022. Its sequel, Anikulapo: Rise of the Spectre, began streaming on March 1, 2024. Both were written by Shola Dada and directed and produced by Kunle Afolayan.
Information has it that all is not well between actor Kunle Remi and Anikulapo movie producer Kunle Afolayan.The two allegedly faced conflicts during the production of Anikulapo Season 1, Rise of the Spectre.
It was reported that the issue came when Kunle Remi kept complaining that Kunle Afolayan asked him to keep re-doing some scenes while shooting season 1. Note that Kunle Remi was absent during the movie premiere of the season 1.
The new actors in the forthcoming season 2 of Anikulapo include, Saga, Kiekie, Abija, Antar Laniyan, Fella Makafui, Jide Awobona, Saidi Balogun, Salami Rotimi, Tayo Faniran, Teniola Aladese and more.
See the new cast shared by Kunle Afolayan below (swipe to view all of them);