Kemi Adetiba is stepping into new territory with her latest project, To Kill a Monkey. Set to premiere on Netflix on July 18, this gripping eight-part crime drama marks Adetiba’s first major work outside the King of Boys and The Wedding Party franchises—and, perhaps most notably, her first without longtime collaborator and star Sola Sobowale.
Best known for her dynamic, high-stakes storytelling and powerful female leads, Adetiba is switching gears entirely. In To Kill a Monkey, she not only serves as creator, writer, and director, but also takes on the role of showrunner under her Kemi Adetiba Visuals banner. The series pivots from political intrigue to a gritty, supernatural-tinged tale of friendship, betrayal, and the morally murky world of cybercrime.
Starring Bucci Franklin (Rattlesnake, Far From Home) and William Benson (Crime and Justice Lagos), the series centers on Efemini (Benson), a struggling man whose desperate circumstances lead him back to a charismatic old friend (Franklin). What begins as a reunion quickly spirals into a dangerous descent as Efemini gets pulled into a high-stakes cybercrime ring, forcing him to compromise everything he once stood for.
“The moment you see the trailer, you realize this is something else entirely,” said Adetiba. “It’s still about power, but now through the lens of friendship, temptation, and survival.”
The trailer teases a world rich in visual storytelling—from urban decay and luxury excess to mystical undertones—painting a tense picture of a man on the edge. With echoes of Nollywood classics like Living in Bondage and Billionaire’s Club, the show promises a fresh yet familiar thrill for fans of Nigerian crime dramas.
Rounding out the star-studded cast are Stella Damasus, Bimbo Akintola, Chidi Mokeme, Ireti Doyle, Lilian Afegbai, Teniola Aladese, Michael Ejoor, and Sunshine Roseman. The production, co-produced by Remi Adetiba, was first teased in August 2023, with filming wrapping in October of that year.
