Filmmaker Spotlight: Shawn Levy Takes 21 Laps to Disney’s 20th Television

Shawn Levy and 21 Laps sign a multiyear overall television deal with Disney’s 20th Television, beginning a new production chapter after Netflix in 2027.

Shawn Levy is preparing for a significant new chapter in television production. Disney announced on September 28, 2026, that the filmmaker and his 21 Laps Entertainment banner have signed a multiyear overall television deal with Disney’s 20th Television.

The agreement brings Levy’s future television development into Disney’s production ecosystem following his long-running relationship with Netflix. It also deepens his connection with a company where his feature-film slate already extends across Marvel Studios and Lucasfilm.

A wide-ranging television deal for 21 Laps

Under the new agreement, Levy and 21 Laps will develop and produce series across Disney Entertainment’s portfolio of platforms and brands. Variety reports that the arrangement will begin in October 2027, after the conclusion of Levy’s current Netflix deal.

The move does not represent a complete separation from Netflix. Levy will continue collaborating with the streamer on the Duffer Brothers’ Stranger Things universe, preserving one of the creative partnerships most closely associated with 21 Laps.

That combination—moving an overall deal while retaining involvement in an established franchise—makes this Filmmaker Spotlight particularly relevant to producers watching how major production companies manage long-term studio relationships.

Shawn Levy’s Disney partnership keeps expanding

Levy’s television agreement arrives as his film work with Disney grows. He is directing and producing Lucasfilm’s Star Wars: Starfighter, scheduled for theatrical release on May 28, 2027, and is also directing Marvel Studios’ Ghost Rider. Both projects star Ryan Gosling.

Disney already has evidence of Levy’s ability to deliver films for large global audiences. The company reported that his Deadpool & Wolverine surpassed $1.086 billion worldwide within 23 days, becoming the highest-grossing R-rated film at that point.

Why producers should watch the next phase

For Nollywood and African screen producers, the deal offers a useful example of how a filmmaker-led company can build across television, theatrical releases and major entertainment brands without abandoning valuable existing collaborations.

The financial terms have not been disclosed, and Disney has not announced the first series under the pact. What is clear is that 21 Laps will enter its next television phase with access to Disney’s broad portfolio while Levy continues directing major franchise films. The first projects selected under the agreement will reveal how that expanded relationship translates from corporate strategy into stories for audiences.

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What kind of television project would you like Shawn Levy and 21 Laps to develop first for Disney?

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Sources

Source links used to research and verify this article:

The Walt Disney Company
Variety Australia
The Walt Disney Company

Actor Spotlight: Whoopi Goldberg Begins Filming Netflix’s Hamptons Dramedy Women Like Us

Actor Spotlight: Whoopi Goldberg starts filming Netflix’s Women Like Us with Jenifer Lewis, Vanessa Williams and Vivica A. Fox in the Hamptons.

Whoopi Goldberg is back on a feature-film set, and her latest project places her at the centre of an impressive veteran ensemble. Netflix has confirmed that production is underway on Women Like Us, a new dramedy co-starring Jenifer Lewis, Vanessa Williams and Vivica A. Fox.

The production update, accompanied by official on-set photographs, gives this Actor Spotlight a timely focus. Rather than relying solely on its headline-making cast, Women Like Us is building interest around a story of grief, friendship and women pursuing their dreams later in life.

A milestone trip to the Hamptons

Women Like Us follows a recently widowed woman whose lifelong friends and sister take her to the Hamptons on what would have been her 30th wedding anniversary. Netflix has not yet identified which member of the four-woman lead ensemble plays the widow, so Goldberg’s specific role remains undisclosed.

Goldberg, Lewis, Williams and Fox bring established audiences across film, television and theatre to the project. The supporting ensemble includes Greg Tarzan Davis, Melanie Liburd, Harry Lennix, Joy Bryant and Danielle Pinnock, among others.

Goldberg also discussed her filming schedule when she returned to The View on September 28, reinforcing that the project has moved beyond its earlier casting announcement and into active production.

Tasha Smith leads a notable creative team

Tasha Smith directs Women Like Us from a screenplay by Ali Kinney, with additional writing by Girls Trip writer Tracy Oliver. MACRO Film Studios and Higher Ground are producing, with Michelle Obama serving as an executive producer for Higher Ground and Charles D. King executive producing for MACRO Film Studios.

For Nollywood Spotlight readers, the project is worth following not only because of Goldberg’s return to a major ensemble feature, but also because it centres mature women in a friendship-driven story. That creative choice may resonate with African filmmakers and audiences interested in richer roles for experienced performers beyond conventional romantic leads.

What comes next for Women Like Us

No official trailer or teaser has been released, and the film remains in production. For now, Netflix’s set photographs and Goldberg’s filming update offer the clearest early look at a project built around four recognisable performers and a life-after-loss premise.

As production continues, the biggest questions will be how the roles are divided across the leading quartet and how Smith balances the story’s grief, humour and renewed ambition.

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Which member of the Women Like Us ensemble are you most excited to see in this Hamptons story?

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Sources

Source links used to research and verify this article:

Netflix Tudum
TV Insider

Nollywood News: Omoni Oboli’s Millionaire Until Morning Hits 1 Million YouTube Views in 21 Hours

Omoni Oboli’s Millionaire Until Morning crossed 1 million YouTube views in 21 hours, marking a fast start for the new Nollywood romantic drama online.

Omoni Oboli’s latest YouTube release, Millionaire Until Morning, has made an immediate impression with viewers. According to a milestone announcement from Oboli, the romantic drama crossed 1 million views within 21 hours of its premiere on the official Omoni Oboli TV channel.

The rapid start makes the film a notable entry in this week’s Nollywood News and another example of how quickly a new release can find a substantial audience through YouTube. For filmmakers and producers, that opening-day momentum also highlights the platform’s continuing importance as a direct distribution and discovery channel.

A marriage proposal with a hidden complication

Millionaire Until Morning premiered on September 25, 2026, and runs for approximately two hours and 24 minutes. Its principal cast includes Chris Attoh, Sophia Chisom, Chimsom Chuka and Thelma Chukwunwem.

The story centres on Ndidi, a woman facing an unwanted marriage. Her circumstances appear to change when Harrison, a millionaire, offers to marry her, but the proposal may not be as straightforward as it initially seems.

That romantic setup gives the movie an accessible hook for viewers drawn to relationship dramas built around difficult choices, unexpected offers and questions of trust.

Millionaire Until Morning records a fast YouTube debut

FilmFlux’s September 26 snapshot recorded 1.1 million views and estimated that the movie was gaining approximately 1 million views per day. The platform also placed its likes-per-view engagement within the top four percent and ranked the film first in its roundup of new uploads released between September 19 and 25.

Earlier snapshots published by Jikoro showed the movie at 369,300 views and later at 635,500 views, supporting the reported pace of its opening-day climb. Because YouTube totals continue to change, the live figure may now be higher than these initial records.

Why the milestone matters for Nollywood on YouTube

A million-view debut does more than signal curiosity around one title. It demonstrates the size and responsiveness of the audience available to Nollywood creators who release full-length movies through established YouTube channels.

For actors, producers and filmmakers, the performance of Millionaire Until Morning offers another timely case study in digital distribution. Its next test will be whether that opening surge develops into sustained viewing beyond the first wave of audience attention.

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What makes you most likely to try a new Nollywood movie on YouTube: the cast, the storyline or strong early viewing numbers?

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Sources

Source links used to research and verify this article:

Omoni Oboli TV on YouTube
FilmFlux Movie Listing
FilmFlux New Uploads Roundup
Jikoro New Releases
TwStalker

How Bowale Is Building a YouTube Community Around Justice and Second Chances

Discover how Biodun Stephen’s Bowale is using its YouTube momentum to spark a Community conversation about detention, justice and second chances.

Bowale is finding an audience on YouTube, but its significance extends beyond a fast-rising view count. Biodun Stephen’s social drama is also opening a Community conversation about prolonged detention, lost years and the difficult road back into society after imprisonment.

Released free on BIODUNSTEPHEN TV on September 16, 2026, the approximately two-hour film follows a man who spent 30 years in prison for a crime he did not commit. His chance to rebuild begins when a businesswoman offers him an opportunity, placing employment, trust and reintegration at the centre of the story.

A human story about freedom after prison

The premise gives Bowale a clear emotional hook while raising a harder question: what can freedom restore after decades have been taken away? Stephen has positioned the film as part of a wider discussion about awaiting-trial detention, policing, reintegration and the crucial difference between accusation and guilt.

That conversation is especially relevant in Nigeria. World Prison Brief reported that pretrial detainees accounted for 65.2% of the country’s custodial population on June 22, 2026. Against that context, Bowale uses an individual journey to make a large institutional issue more immediate for movie audiences.

YouTube gives the conversation room to grow

The film’s early performance suggests that viewers are discovering more than another free Nollywood release. The Business Times reported that Bowale had exceeded four million views, 37,600 likes and 2,000 comments by September 25. Jikoro subsequently displayed approximately 4.4 million views and 39,900 likes on September 27.

Those changing totals underline YouTube’s value as both a distribution platform and a public discussion space. A standalone film can reach viewers in Nigeria and across the diaspora without a theatrical barrier, while the comment section allows its themes to remain active after the closing credits.

A cast carrying the second-chance story

The principal cast includes Bamike “BamBam” Olawunmi-Adenibuyan, Jude Chukwuka and Bobby Ekpe. The official YouTube description credits Stephen as producer and director, reinforcing her creative role in shaping both the drama and the social conversation surrounding it.

For Nollywood filmmakers and producers, Bowale demonstrates how free digital distribution can connect issue-led storytelling with a substantial audience. Its discovery momentum matters, but the deeper opportunity lies in turning attention into reflection on justice, employment barriers and whether society truly makes room for second chances.

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Can YouTube films such as Bowale help broaden public discussion about detention and reintegration in Nigeria?

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Sources

Source links used to research and verify this article:

BIODUNSTEPHEN TV
Biodun Stephen on LinkedIn
Jikoro
The Business Times
World Prison Brief

How Nemesis Next Door’s 11-Day Sequel Rollout Built Repeat Viewing on YouTube

Nemesis Next Door’s 11-day sequel rollout topped 6.1 million creator-reported views, showing how Nollywood can build repeat-viewing communities on YouTube.

On YouTube, a hit movie can draw millions of viewers and still lose momentum before its audience has another reason to return. Fespris TV took a different approach with Nemesis Next Door, following the September 1, 2026 premiere with Nemesis Next Door 2 on September 12—just 11 days later.

That compressed schedule created a direct path from the original film to its sequel. Instead of treating each release as a separate event, the rollout kept viewers inside the same story cycle while interest in Part 1 was still growing.

Two releases generated more than 6.1 million reported views

A September 20 milestone post from Iyabo Ojo’s account reported that Nemesis Next Door had surpassed 4.1 million views after two weeks, while the sequel had crossed 2 million after eight days. Together, the films had generated more than 6.1 million creator-reported views at that snapshot.

FilmFlux captured the momentum at earlier stages. Its September 16 snapshot identified the original as Fespris TV’s most-viewed film, with approximately 3.6 million views at the time.

The sequel also reached No. 7 on FilmFlux’s September 7–13 weekly chart. It entered the platform’s top 2% for weekly viewing growth and ranked within the top 16% for likes per view among the popular films tracked.

A cast viewers could follow across both films

Continuity also helped connect the releases. Both films star Iyabo Ojo, Odunlade Adekola, Mike Ezuruonye and Eniola Badmus. FilmFlux additionally credits Ojo as director and producer of Nemesis Next Door 2.

For viewers, the familiar cast and closely linked titles reduced the distance between discovering the first film and choosing the next one. For Fespris TV, the sequel offered its growing audience an immediate follow-up rather than allowing attention to drift to another channel.

What the rollout says about YouTube audiences

The figures do not prove that every sequel viewer watched Part 1 first, but they point to sustained interest across both releases. Part 1 continued accumulating views even as Part 2 entered the weekly chart, suggesting that the sequel may have extended discovery rather than simply replacing the original.

That is the larger Audience Trends lesson for Nollywood producers. A rapid follow-up can turn one successful upload into a broader viewing cycle, keeping conversation, recommendations and watch activity moving across a channel Community. When connected films are ready, release timing can become part of the storytelling strategy—and a practical tool for encouraging audiences to return.

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Should more Nollywood producers release connected YouTube films within days of each other to sustain audience interest?

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Sources

Source links used to research and verify this article:

Fespris TV — Nemesis Next Door
Fespris TV — Nemesis Next Door 2
Iyabo Ojo Creator Milestone Post via Jolygram
FilmFlux — Nemesis Next Door
FilmFlux — Nemesis Next Door 2

Filmmaker Spotlight: Brad Bird’s Ray Gunn Gets Its First Trailer After a Three-Decade Journey

Brad Bird unveils the first Ray Gunn trailer, bringing his three-decade animated noir project to festivals, theaters and Netflix for audiences in December 2026.

Brad Bird is finally bringing one of his earliest original ideas to the screen. Netflix released the first official trailer for Ray Gunn on September 23, introducing a stylish animated collision of detective noir and retro-futuristic science fiction more than 30 years after Bird first conceived the project.

The trailer arrives as the film builds significant festival momentum. Ray Gunn is scheduled for an October world premiere at the BFI London Film Festival, followed by a Red Carpet Premiere at AFI FEST. Its wider rollout begins with select theaters and limited 70mm engagements on December 4, before arriving on Netflix on December 18.

A noir mystery unfolds in Metropia

Ray Gunn takes place in Metropia, an alternate-future city where humans and aliens live together amid corruption, murder and celebrity culture. Bird has described the central concept as a meeting point between 1940s detective noir and the imaginative worlds of pulp science fiction.

Sam Rockwell voices private investigator Raymond Gunn, while Scarlett Johansson plays multimedia star Venus Nova. Tom Waits voices Gunn’s alien partner, Eye-Ra. The supporting cast includes Alan Tudyk, Matt Berry, Bobby Cannavale, Michelle Rodriguez, Kathryn Hunter and Patton Oswalt.

Brad Bird revives an idea from early in his career

This Filmmaker Spotlight is especially notable because Ray Gunn is not a recent studio assignment. The project originated near the beginning of Bird’s filmmaking career, making its eventual production a rare example of an original concept surviving decades of industry change.

Bird directs from his original story and co-wrote the screenplay with Matthew Robbins. Skydance Animation produced the film for Netflix, supporting an ambitious production that combines an old-school mystery framework with feature animation and a densely imagined science-fiction setting.

A theatrical and streaming strategy worth watching

The release plan gives Ray Gunn several distinct discovery windows: major festival premieres, select theatrical screenings, limited 70mm presentations and a global streaming launch. For Nollywood and African filmmakers navigating cinema, festival, YouTube and streaming audiences, that layered approach offers a useful example of how format and distribution can become part of a film’s identity.

Most importantly, Ray Gunn places an original filmmaker-driven story at the centre of its campaign. The first trailer now gives audiences their clearest look at how Bird has transformed a three-decade creative ambition into a finished animated feature.

Join the conversation

Does Ray Gunn’s combination of detective noir, science fiction and animation make it a must-watch for you?

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Sources

Source links used to research and verify this article:

Netflix Tudum
American Film Institute
Animation World Network
TheWrap

Nollywood News: Uche Jombo’s Love and Legacy Hits 2.5 Million YouTube Views in One Week

Uche Jombo’s Love and Legacy reached about 2.5 million YouTube views in one week, highlighting strong momentum for the new Nollywood family drama.

Uche Jombo’s latest family drama, Love and Legacy, is gaining significant early traction on YouTube. One week after its September 18, 2026 premiere, the film had accumulated approximately 2.5 million views, making it a notable new release for Nollywood fans searching for full-length movies online.

The film premiered free on Uche Jombo TV at 6:00 p.m. WAT. By September 25, audience trackers recorded about 21,000 to 21,100 likes alongside its rising view count. TrendYT also placed the movie at No. 13 on its Nigerian Film & Animation YouTube chart, indicating active interest beyond the initial release-day audience.

A family conflict driven by love and responsibility

Love and Legacy stars Uche Jombo as Chinwe, Victory Michael as Obinna and Omeche Oko as Enewa, also identified as Ene. The story follows Obinna as tensions emerge between his relationship, his elder sister Chinwe and decisions affecting the future of their family business.

That combination of romance, sibling conflict and responsibility places the film firmly within the character-led family drama tradition familiar to Nollywood audiences. Its approximately two-hour-and-18-minute running time also gives the story room to explore the personal and business pressures facing its central characters.

Uche Jombo leads the film’s creative team

Esther Akapo directed and produced Love and Legacy. Jombo is credited as a producer, executive producer and the creator of the story, extending her involvement beyond her leading performance as Chinwe.

The film’s first-week numbers add another timely example to ongoing Nollywood News about YouTube’s role as a major release platform. For actors, producers and filmmakers, free digital premieres can provide immediate evidence of audience reach through public views, likes and chart activity.

What the early YouTube momentum means

While view and engagement totals will continue to change, approximately 2.5 million views in seven days gives Love and Legacy a strong early audience signal. It also makes the movie easier to discover among the growing number of Nollywood titles competing directly for viewers on YouTube.

For audiences in Nigeria and across the African diaspora, the release offers convenient access to a new feature-length drama without a subscription barrier. Its early performance suggests that viewers are responding to the film’s mix of recognisable stars, family stakes and relationship conflict. Love and Legacy is now streaming in full on Uche Jombo TV.

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Sources

Source links used to research and verify this article:

Uche Jombo TV on YouTube
Nollywood Times
African Movie Database
Jikoro
TrendYT

How Matan Gida Season 3 Is Building a Cross-Border YouTube Community for Hausa Drama

Matan Gida Season 3 premieres September 26 as its strong YouTube audience and Nigeria-Ghana chart reach reveal Hausa drama’s growing cross-border pull.

Matan Gida is returning at a moment when its audience appears ready to treat the Hausa-language drama as appointment viewing. Maishadda Global Resources released the official Season 3 trailer on September 20, 2026, announcing that the new season would begin on Saturday, September 26, at 8:30 p.m.

For viewers searching beyond YouTube’s crowded field of standalone romance films, the series offers another model for African screen entertainment: continuing characters, season-long anticipation and a reliable evening premiere capable of bringing audiences back together.

Season 3 arrives with an established audience

The interest surrounding the trailer is not simply a burst of curiosity. Season 2 concluded with Episode 11 on September 5, and a September 24 snapshot showed that the episode had attracted approximately 730,400 views and 13,300 likes. Other available September snapshots placed earlier Season 2 episodes between roughly 730,000 and 823,000 views.

Those figures suggest that creator and producer Abubakar Bashir Maishadda, working with screenwriter Ibrahim Birniwa, has developed a returning audience for serialized Hausa storytelling. The official channel’s wider scale strengthens that picture: as of September 24, it had approximately 1.45 million subscribers and 236.8 million total views, including about 7.45 million views added during the preceding 28 days.

Matan Gida is travelling beyond Nigeria

The Season 3 trailer also showed signs of cross-border discovery. On September 25, it ranked No. 2 on a tracked Nigerian YouTube chart with approximately 294,900 views, 6,400 likes and 351 comments. Kworb separately recorded the trailer at No. 11 on Ghana’s YouTube chart.

A chart appearance in Ghana does not define the full international audience, but it indicates that the series is reaching viewers beyond one familiar Kannywood market. For African filmmakers and producers, that matters: YouTube can allow a culturally specific, non-English-language drama to travel without abandoning the storytelling identity that attracted its core viewers.

Why Matan Gida is worth discovering

The Daily Reality has praised Matan Gida for engaging with moral ambiguity, power dynamics and difficult social realities instead of depending solely on conventional domestic conflict. That thematic ambition gives viewers another reason to follow the story across episodes rather than approach it as disposable online entertainment.

As Season 3 begins, Matan Gida is demonstrating how scheduling, continuity and audience anticipation can turn a YouTube channel into a Community. Its rollout is one to watch—not only for Hausa drama fans, but also for creators considering how serialized African stories can build sustained attention at home and across borders.

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Sources

Source links used to research and verify this article:

Maishadda Global Resources
Maishadda Global Resources – Matan Gida Season 2 Episode 11
The Daily Reality
YouTube Trends Nigeria
Kworb