Omotola Jalade Ekeinde, Adesua Etomi, Dakore Akande, and other Nollywood actresses, appearing in leading roles in 2022 movies.
Nollywood has come a long way as a movie industry in such a short time. While there have been shortcomings regarding authenticity, several films are currently living up to expectations.
2021 gave us some blockbusters, from Niyi Akinmolayan’s The Prophetess, Biodun Stephen’s Breaded Life, to Mildred Okwo’s crime thriller LA Femme Anjola, and a couple of others. Also, while the production and directing are getting better, the actors are stepping up.
Memorable performances like Lateef Adedimeji’s in Ayinla biopic and Bimbo Ademoye’s in Breaded Life, both in 2021, are seared into our minds.
While 2022 started on a discouraging path with the criticism that Mo Abudu’s Chief Daddy 2 (an unnecessary and pointless sequel) received, Damilola Orimogunje’s 2020 directorial debut in For Maria Ebun Pataki gave me hope again. If you’ve not seen it, you may not understand the buzz it generates. Starring Meg Otanwa alongside Kunle Afolayan and Tina Mba, the movie is available on Netflix and has received positive reviews from fans and critics. While many mostly love it because of the subject matter it explored, the storytelling doesn’t disappoint as well.
Things appear to be moving slowly in Nollywood, unlike the music industry’s counterpart, where there are practically new bangers weekly. Yet, I have curated a list of 5 Nollywood actresses set to star in lead roles in a major 2022 movie.
The movies on the list have been confirmed for release this year unless something changes the schedule.
5. Omotola Jalade Ekeinde – Singing Sin
Credited to have featured in over 300 movies, 44-year-old Omotola Jalade Ekeinde is a Nigerian movie veteran after debuting in 1995. Her most recent movie endeavor goes back to 2017’s Alter Ego, which is currently available on Netflix. The actress is set to feature in Ifan Michael’s upcoming period drama, Singing Sin, which is set in the 80s and follows the lives of African women. A release date is yet to be set for the movie, but the actress will play Elektra – a very eccentric character. She will be starring alongside Toke Makinwa and Ifan Micheal himself.
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4. Kehinde Bankole – Fumilayo Ransom Kuti Biopic
Last seen on a cooking show as a judge, Kehinde Bankole is set to play the younger lead role of Fumilayo Ransom Kuti in another Bolanle Austen Peters production that will debut sometime later in 2022 as production began in December 2021. The actress last played the lead role in Desmond Elliot’s Love Castle. This time, she stars alongside Kehinde Bankole, Omowunmi Dada, Adunni Ade, Jide Kosoko, Shawn Faqua, and Bikiya Graham Douglas.
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3.Adesua Etomi – Gang of Lagos
Last seen playing the lead role in the 2019 animated movie Malika: Warrior Queen and Jade Osiberu’s 2019 Sugar Rush, Adesua Etomi has pretty much been under the radar when it comes to movies. Recently, she crossover into music with the release of her first single “So Natural”. However, she’s set to take the big screen once again with the upcoming release of Gang of Lagos, directed by Jade Osiberu. Adesua will play Funke Williams as Jade’s Instagram post suggests. The movie will star Adesua Etomi in the lead role with Tobi Bakare and singer-songwriter Chike also featuring. Recall that Adesua debuted in Nollywood back in 2013 but her big break came when she starred in 2014’s Knocking on Heaven’s Door. Since then, she has become a household name in Nigeria’s movie industry.
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2.Dakore Egbuson Akande – One Too Many
Dakore Akande stunned viewers as the eponymous character in 2017’s Isoken. However, before that showing, she was a well-known actress with several Nollywood movies to her name. She was last seen as a significant role in 2019’s Coming from Insanity, which premiered the following year on Netflix. Also, she snagged a lead role on Netflix’s Castle and Castle Season 2. Now, Dakore is set to return to the big screen playing the lead role in Kayode Kasum’s upcoming movie One Too Many. She will play the role of a mother trying to save her son from a corrupt system. The movie is currently in post-production and will be released commercially later in 2022.
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1. Mercy Johnson Okojie – Passport: The Movie
The last time we saw Mercy Johnson, she played a supporting role in the 2021 Netflix holiday flick A Naija Christmas. We get to see her once again as the leading act of Passport: The Movie which Dimeji Ajibola directs. While the makers have not revealed many details about her Tomboy character, it has been confirmed that the filming is over and it will be in the cinema soon. Mercy Johnson’s role this coming movie will mark her first major lead role in a 2022 Nollywood movie. She last played a lead role alongside Toyin Abraham in 2021’s The Ghost And The Tout Too, which was a commercial success. Mercy Johnson’s acting career dates back to 2004, and she earned her first title as a movie producer in 2020 with the release of The Legend of Inikpi.
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With this lineup of Nollywood movies coming in 2022 and featuring some of the biggest actresses in the industry, it is certainly not going to be a boring year for fans.
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