"Lion And the Jewel": Tunde Kelani is adapting Wole Soyinka's book into film

Tunde Kelani, who is popular for "Saworide," is working on a screen adaptation of Wole Soyinka's "Lion and the Jewel."

Award-winning filmmaker, Tunde Kelani, has revealed that he is adapting Wole Soyinka’s "The Lion and the Jewel" for the screen.

Titled "Sidi Ilunije," the indigenous film would be shot in Ibadan, and will feature Adebayo Salami as Baroka, Ibrahim Chatta as Lakunle, and Ayisat Onitiri as Sidi.

 

Speaking to Punch, Kelani revealed that he already has Soyinka's approval to adapt the book into a film. 

“In fact, I can say that it was Prof. himself (Soyinka) who inspired me to embark on the project. He said, ‘TK, why not take a look at one of my plays?’ Well, I think he said something like ‘one of the simple plays’.

"But when I started to take a closer look at The Lion and the Jewel, trying to break it down, I discovered that it is not as simple as many people think. For one, the play is more of poetry than prose.”

 

"The Lion and the Jewel" is a play by Soyinka, which chronicles how Baroka, the lion, fights with the modern Lakunle over the right to marry Sidi, the titular Jewel.

"Sidi Ilunje" isn't Kelani's first book to film adaptation. He adapted Akinwumi Isola’s "O Le Ku" and "Koseegbe" into movies.

 

He also adapted Bayo Adebowale’s "The Virgin" into a film titled "The Narrow Path." The award-winning film "Maami" was also adapted from a story by Femi Osofisan. 

Kelani is popular for movies such as "Campus Queen," "Thunder Bolt," "Dazzling Mirage" among others.