In the last few decades, some great movies have been produced in Nollywood, the third largest movie industry in the world. These movies remain evergreen in the minds of those who saw them when they were released. Many who never saw the movies when they were released have heard stories about them and are eager to see for themselves. Apart from sentimental values, remaking movies usually help in distributing them better while also taking advantage of cutting-edge technologies to make them better. Recently one of the very first movies released on home video in Nigeria, Living in Bondage, was remade to critical acclaim. Nigerians want more, so that one hopes that after the coronavirus lull is over, the classics will bounce back bigger and better.
Here are some of the movies that should be remade — both for the pleasure of reliving the moment we first watched it and for experimenting with cutting edge movie technologies.
- Yemi my Lover
One of the biggest hits of the 1990s, ‘Yemi my Lover’ by Yemi Ayebo certainly deserves a remake. With a lot of Bollywood influence, the film captured the Nigerian audience and held their attention for a long time. With better cameras, choreographers and video technology, a Yemi my Lover remake will be a delight on the big screen. In a 2019 interview, Ayebo — the producer, director and star of the movie — expressed the strong belief that he can easily connect with the new generation. Two references to his 90s movie in new school Nigerian popular songs by Olamide and DJ Cuppy may be proof, but seeing a remake of Yemi my Lover would prove it beyond reasonable doubt.
- Ṣaworoidẹ
This political satire with strong cultural allusions needs to come back. From the stable of Tunde Kelani’s Mainframe, the picture quality, dialogue and acting are outstanding. The remake can’t be more relevant than at this time. The 1999 movie marked the beginning of a still blossoming career for a star like Kunle Afolayan. With the calibre of cast and crew featured in the movie, it could be very hard to ask for more. However, it would be great to see how someone else will interpret the role of Baba Opalaba, played by the late Adebayo Faleti. Maybe the conflict scene where the youths attacked the loggers could also get some more action.
- Igodo
This is one of the first truly epic Nigerian movies. With the minimal technology available in the Industry in 1999, Don Pedro Obaseki (producer) and Andy Amenechi (director) held their audience spellbound through the forest adventure. In this age of Computer-Generated Imagery (CGI) the remake is sure to be super engaging. What if the producer decides to experiment with 3-D? Certainly many people won’t be able to resist ‘Igodo’on the big screen!
- State of Emergency
If you were looking for a Nollywood action movie that gives you the same feeling as a James Bond film from 16 years ago, then Teco Benson’s 2004hit, ‘State of Emergency’is your answer. Starring Saint Obi, Bimbo Manuel, Ejike Asiegbu and the late J.T Tom West, the movie satisfied Nigerians’ thirst for indigenous action movies at the time. It deserves a come-back. With more research, better movie technologies, more life references to glean from and perhaps strategic collaboration with real security outfits, a ‘State of Emergency’ remake will be a box office champion.
- Nneka the Pretty Serpent
This 1992 cult horror movie can safely be classed as the first of its kind in Nigeria. Starring Ndidi Obi as the vamp, Eucharia Anunobi, Ngozi Ezeonu, Rita Nzelu, Kanayo O. Kanayo and the late Sam Loco Efe, the movie contests brilliantly with western movies of the same genre at the time. A remake of the film will benefit a lot from new movie effects tech and bring the heebie jeebies back to the movie screen.
- Most Wanted
The 1998 Nollywood crime movie, which marked the debut of Genevieve Nnaji, is almost a response to ‘Set it Off’, an American movie of the same genre. The American movie is about a heist by an all-female gang while the Nigerian movie, directed by Tunji Bamisigbin tells of four female university graduates who took to robbery because they couldn’t get jobs. The pursuit and action scenes in ‘Most Wanted’are good for 1998 Nollywood, but with better cameras and more responsive camera rigging, a remake of ‘Most Wanted’would definitely make more disciples than the 1998 version.
- Owoblo
Owoblo is a 1997 thriller in three parts, produced and directed by Tade Ogidan. It is one of the greatest movies out of Nollywood, featuring Bimbo Akintola and Femi Adebayo as debutants. Telling the story of injustice, greed, corruption, poverty and their effects on the society, ‘Owoblo’ — released as The Genesis, The Revolt and The Final Struggle — touched the heart of many who could not help but shed tears at the striking similarity of the fictional work to real-life stories. With stars like Rachel Oniga, Taiwo Hassan, Sunday Afolabi, Lanre Balogun, Binta Ayo Mogaji, Bimpe Adekola, Lanre Hassan, Jide Kosoko, Sam Loco-Efe and Yinka Quadri, the film has featured in the African Film Festival. A comeback of the trilogy may be difficult to come by, but if it ever makes it back, it is going to be a triple win for a top-notch trilogy.
