Idris Elba to Play Okonkwo And Executive Produce ‘Things Fall Apart’ TV Series

​Idris Elba is set to star and executive produce a TV series adaptation of Chinua Achebe’s literary classic, Things Fall Apart.

Elba has been slated to play the novel’s protagonist, Okonkwo, a leader of the Igbo village, Umuofia who battled with his low tolerance for weakness in the wake of the coming of British missionaries, dismayed by colonial rule.

According to Variety, Elba has recently launched a production company, 22Summers, in partnership with Gina Carter. The banner is set to serve as an executive producer for the series, alongside David Oyelowo and Amanda N’Duka, who will also hold executive producer roles under Yoruba Saxon. Additionally, Ben Forkner, Dayo Ogunyemi, and notably Achebe Masterworks, primarily managed by the late novelist’s family estate, are attached as executive producers.

Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart is a globally renowned work that has gained acclaim across academia and the literature world. The novel stands as a counterpoint to colonial literature, as it delves deep into the exploration of pre-colonial African culture, specifically the Igbo tradition. Things Fall Apart is the first installment of Achebe’s renowned African Trilogy, which also includes No Longer at Ease and Arrow of God.

The 1958 novel is Achebe’s debut in literature, and earned the Igbo luminary his first literary award the following year, the Margaret Wong Memorial Prize. Achebe has garnered several literary awards including the Man Booker International Prize, the Fonlon-Nichols Award, The Nigerian National Trophy for Literature, the Nigerian National Order of Merit, and Commander of the Order of the Federal Republic.

A work of high honor and pride among Nigerians, the announcement of Elba’s involvement with the forthcoming series sparked some controversy. Some social media users found Elba’s casting as Okonkwo distasteful, as his ethnic heritage excludes Nigerian descent, particularly Igbo descent. Elba was born in London to a Sierra Leonean father and a Ghanaian mother, both countries situated in West Africa.

Nollywood, the Nigerian film industry, is considered the second-largest in the world, having produced over 2,500 movies per year since its inception in the 1980s. During Nollywood’s early years, the classic novel Things Fall Apart received its first African-produced visual adaptation as a mini-series, featuring the legendary Igbo actor Pete Edochie in the role of Okonkwo. Edochie’s acclaimed portrayal of the stoic Okonkwo has cemented his inseparable association with the character.

Edochie’s acclaimed performance as Okonkwo has set the benchmark for future adaptations of the novel. This has prompted concerns from lovers of the book, who worry that Elba’s potentially imperfect depiction of the Igbo accent may eat at the veracity of the film.

“Casting Idris Elba as Okonkwo in ‘Things Fall Apart’ is all shades of wrong. It’s so wrong, there’s nothing right about it. This is a story of Pre-colonial igbo land. Is he going to speak Igbo or will he condition his tongue to imitate the Nigerian accent?,” shared X user GayleZoie.

With Nollywood’s rich rolodex of Igbo actors, many found this production as an opportunity to introduce Nollywood actors to the mainstream sector of global cinema.

“Idris Elba to cast as ‘okonkwo’ in the new TV series adaptation of chinua Achebe’s ‘Things fall apart’,” shared X user Bekee_chetanna. “I don’t seem to understand it when an actor like Chiwetalu ejiofor is still well and alive. Make una think am well na!”

The backlash is partial, as there are commenters who find Elba’s casting to be brilliant, including the children of Achebe. Nwando Achebe, the daughter of the late iconic literary figure and CEO of Achebe Masterworks, expressed her excitement on social media, wishing her father could have witnessed this moment. “I’m over the moon about this. My only wish is that dad could have been here to see this!”

“It’s been two decades in the making,” Chidi Achebe, the son of the late novelist and CEO of Achebe Masterworks shared on LinkedIn. “The Board and Executives at Achebe Masterworks are pleased to announce the upcoming Television Series adaptation of the African (nay, global) classic ‘Things Fall Apart,’ starring the fantastic Idris Elba (as the protagonist, Okonkwo) and the incomparable David Oyelowo (in a yet undecided major role) amongst others.”

So far, no writer has been assigned to aid with this profound depiction of Things Fall Apart, nor has the role of Oyelowo been determined yet. However, there are hopes among the Nigerian diaspora that Nollywood actors will be given the opportunity to participate in the film, which could help to enhance Nollywood’s global standing in the film industry.