This is a story of brotherhood, betrayal, and survival
Kemi Adetiba’s latest work, To Kill a Monkey, is a deliberate departure from her comfort zone, and it shows in every frame.
Marking her first major project outside the King of Boys universe, To Kill a Monkey is an 8-part crime drama premiering on Netflix on July 18.
The creator, director, and showrunner, yes, Adetiba wears all three hats, trades the political underworld and matriarchal power of KOB for something darker, leaner, and unexpectedly male-driven.
For the first time in her directorial career, Adetiba steps out without her long-time collaborator, Sola Sobowale. From The Wedding Party to the iconic Eniola Salami of King of Boys, Sobowale’s fiery presence has been a constant. But here, she is noticeably absent.
Instead, Adetiba turns the spotlight on William Benson and Bucci Franklin, two actors known for grit, emotional range, and quietly commanding performances. Benson (Crime and Justice Lagos, A Green Fever) takes on the role of Efemini, a principled but desperate man pushed to the margins of survival. Franklin (Rattlesnake, Far From Home) plays his larger-than-life friend, whose flashy lifestyle becomes both a lifeline and a trap.
In true Adetiba fashion, the tone is sharp, the stakes are brutal, and nothing is ever black or white. As Efemini slips further down the rabbit hole of deceit and double lives, the series dares to ask: How far would you go to rewrite your destiny? And when does reinvention become self-destruction?
Beyond the central duo, the cast is stacked with seasoned and emerging talents: Stella Damasus, Bimbo Akintola, Michael Ejoor, Chidi Mokeme, Lilian Afegbai, Ireti Doyle, Teniola Aladese, and Sunshine Roseman.
The project was first teased in August 2023, when Adetiba revealed it was deep into production under the banner of Kemi Adetiba Visuals, in collaboration with Remi Adetiba. Principal photography wrapped by October, and post-production quietly took its course until now.
To Kill a Monkey begins streaming July 18, 2025, on Netflix.
Credit: Pulseng
