News

Avatar: The Last Airbender's worthy replacement, Iyanu, is all set to return with season 2, and its upcoming installment's first-look images have also been revealed at the San Diego Comic-Con on July 27, 2025. The news confirms that the Cn/HBO Max/Lion Forge Entertainment series will return with its second season sometime in 2026.

Viewers familiar with the Iyanu franchise would know that the show is based on Iyanu: Child of Wonder by Roye Okupe, which was published by YouNeek Studios and Dark Horse Comics. As Iyanu season 2's official plot description reveals, it will mark the beginning of a new arc for Iyanu, where she will find herself facing a powerful enemy as tensions rise across Yorubaland.

Here are the first-look images for the show's upcoming season 2:

Iyuna's executive producers include David Steward II, Stephanie Sperber, Kirsten Newlands and Matt Heath from Lion Forge Entertainment, Erica Dupuis of Impact X Capital,...

At today’s “Iyanu’s Journey: The Next Chapter” panel at San Diego Comic-Con, Cartoon Network, HBO Max, and Lion Forge Entertainment revealed the next evolution of their breakout hit Iyanu.

Building on the show’s first-season success across Cartoon Network and HBO Max, the partners announced that Iyanu: The Age of Wonders — the first in a pair of upcoming animated feature films — will premiere on Saturday, August 30, 2025, at 9:30 a.m. Et/Pt.

At San Diego Comic-Con, fans also got a first look at the official teaser trailer, poster, and never-before-seen stills from Season 2, which is currently in production.

Set 500 years before the rise of Iyanu, The Age of Wonders transports viewers to Yorubaland at the height of its magical civilization. When Meje — the embodiment of the seven deadly sins — emerges, young warriors Dara and Ishe must stop the coming Age of Darkness. Their only hope lies with the Divine Ones,...

Following the breakout first season that captivated young audiences and became a cross-platform sensation, it was revealed today that season two of Lion Forge Entertainment’s Iyanu, the epic animated fantasy series inspired by Nigerian mythology, along with two feature films expanding its universe, has been greenlit by Cartoon Network and Max.

Based on the graphic novel series Iyanu: Child of Wonder by Roye Okupe, and produced by Lion Forge Entertainment, Iyanu follows a teenage orphan who discovers her divine powers and her destiny to save the ancient kingdom of Yorubaland.

“We’re incredibly inspired by the response to ‘Iyanu’ and the connection it has made with audiences,” said David Steward II, CEO of Lion Forge Entertainment. “The opportunity to expand this world with a second season and two feature films is a testament to the power of meaningful storytelling and innovative creative collaboration.

“We’re grateful for the continued...

Iyanu and her band of misfits are coming back for more adventures.

Cartoon Network and HBO Max have officially renewed “Iyanu,” the animated fantasy series based on Roye Okupe’s Nigerian graphic novel, for Season 2. Two feature spin-offs set in the same universe are also confirmed, Variety can exclusively announce.

Season 2 will return with ten episodes in 2026 as Iyanu continues to harness her powers. The official synopsis teases that Iyanu “finds herself in the midst of a fierce conflict between Elu and the People of the Deep, led by a new formidable opponent. With various factions of Yorubaland vying for powerful divine artifacts that have reemerged, Iyanu strives to find a way to end the war and restore peace.”

According to sources with knowledge of the performance data, “Iyanu” ranks as the No. 1 series among kids 2-12 on Cartoon Network and is a top 10 kids & family series on HBO Max....

The Cartoon Network animated series Iyanu will debut on Sunday, April 6 on Max, following the April 5 debut on Cartoon Network. The official trailer giving audiences a new glimpse into the captivating story based on Nigerian culture and mythology has also been released.

Adapted from Roye Okupe’s graphic novel series Iyanu: Child of Wonder, published by YouNeek Studios and Dark Horse Comics (the powerhouse behind The Umbrella Academy and Hellboy), the series is helmed by Roye Okupe himself, who was born and raised in Nigeria and now serves as creator, executive producer and showrunner.

The series is produced by Lion Forge Entertainment, a leading Black-owned animation studio in North America. Drawing on Nigerian culture, music, and mythology, the animated series follows Iyanu, a brave young orphan living in the magical kingdom of Yorubaland.

While studying history and ancient arts, she yearns for a normal life—until a looming threat awakens...

Exclusive: L.A.-based Lion Forge Entertainment has closed a UK streaming deal with Itvx for its fantasy superhero animated series Iyanu, based on Nigerian mythology.

The streaming platform for the U.K.’s free-to-air broadcaster ITV has acquired exclusive VOD (including AVOD) rights for the UK and non-exclusive rights for Ireland.

“We are very pleased to be bringing the wonderful Iyanu to the UK. Our Itvx viewers are in for a treat,” said Darren Nartey, Senior Acquisitions Manager: Films & Kids at ITV.

Iyanu is set to launch this spring with 26, twenty-two-minute episodes. U.S. viewers will be able to watch the series on Cartoon Network and Max, while Lion Forge has previously secured a deal with Showmax to stream the show in 44 countries throughout Africa. The show will launch in the summer in the UK.

Iyanu is landmark production for Lion Forge Entertainment, which was created by founder and...

Lion Forge Entertainment’s “Iyanu,” an animated series based on Roye Okupe’s Nigerian superhero graphic novel, is set to debut in 2025.

The show will be available on Showmax across 44 African countries, while U.S. audiences can access it on Cartoon Network and Max.

Set in the magical kingdom of Yorubaland, “Iyanu” follows an orphan who must uncover the mystery behind her newfound powers to save her people from an ancient curse. The series is adapted from Okupe’s graphic novel series “Iyanu: Child of Wonder,” published by Dark Horse Comics.

Serah Johnson leads the all-African voice cast as Iyanu, joined by Adesua Etomi-Wellington, Stella Damasus, Blossom Chukwujekwu and Shaffy Bello. The writers’ room was led by story editor Brandon Easton (“Transformers: War for Cybertron”), with contributions from Emmy winner Kerri Grant (“Doc McStuffins”).

“One of the reasons I started YouNeek Studios was because I literally grew up watching superhero stories on DStv in Lagos,...

Cartoon Network and Max announced the all-Nigerian cast for Cartoon Network and Max production, Iyanu. The series is slated for release in the US on Cartoon Network and Max in 2025.

As a Lion Forge Entertainment production, Iyanu is an adaptation of Dark Horse Comics/YouNeek Studios’ graphic novel series Iyanu: Child of Wonder by award-winning Nigerian creator and producer Roye Okupe.

Iyanu’s voice cast includes Serah Johnson (Moji) Okey Jude, Samuel Kugbiyi, Adesua Etomi-Wellington, Blossom Chukwujekwu, Stella Damasus (Gone), and Shaffy Bello.

Iyanu is a superhero tale set in the magical kingdom of Yorubaland, which draws from Nigerian culture, music and mythology. Drawing deeply from the Yoruba people, the animated series follows a teenage orphan girl, Iyanu, who spends her days studying history and ancient arts but yearns for a normal life.

The Devil Dared Me To

Stars: Chris Stapp, Matt Heath, Bonnie Soper | Written by Chris Stapp, Matt Heath | Directed by Chris Stapp

The Devil Dared Me To is the story of Randy Cambell a kid with a dream. His dream is to be a daredevil stuntman like his father, seen as New Zealand’s greatest stuntman. His main desire and the stunt that will make him the greatest is to jump over the Cook Strait in a rocket car, something he’s practiced on his bike, leading to many injuries. As he grows up and gives up on trying it on his bike, he joins a team known as the Timaru Hellriders led by Dick Johansonson. We follow Randy’s rise to the top and his resulting rivalry with Dick which causes death, loss of limbs, love affairs and plenty of getting drunk and doing drugs (mainly by Dick) and...

Source: FilmShaft - The Devil Dared Me To Get FrightFest Features Release

Last month we reported on an exciting new distribution adventure between the amazing chaps at FrightFest, eOne and Wild Bunch.

The first flick they released under the FrightFest Features banner was an Italian chiller called Shadow and now they've announced the next title!

It sounds really mental and great fun. It's called The Devil Dared Me To and directed by New Zealand filmmaker Chris Stapp. Below is the press release, some quotes on and DVD artwork.

From the press release:

"Chris Stapp’s gasoline-fuelled, turbo-charged story of vodka-swilling Randy Campbell and his dream of becoming New Zealand’s greatest living stuntman is set for a UK DVD release on May 23 through FrightFest Features.

The Devil Dared Me To, which screened at FrightFest, is the second title to be released through the recently created joint venture between Wild Bunch and FrightFest which will,...

Those guys who did The Devil Dared Me To, a daredevil comedy set in New Zealand, are back with something that sounds so outrageous, so fantastical that I already want to see it. Bare knucle brawling women? Check. Men hunting whales for dinner? Check. Just read below to see what I mean.

"Inspired by tough screen stars like Charles Bronson and Lee Marvin and rollicking adventure films like Death Hunt, Jeremiah Johnson and Apocalypto – the creators Matt Heath and Chris Stapp want to create an epic story of good and evil and set it in a quasi-parallel New Zealand universe.

The story takes place in the deep south of the South Island in the late 1900s, a unruly world where women have bare knuckle fist fights in the muddy main streets and men hunt whales for dinner.

An insanely over-the-top world exaggerated to the extremes, one that pokes fun of...