Mo Abudu’s EbonyLife partners with BBC studios to produce six-part heist thriller

The new project titled ‘Reclaim’ will be a six-part series based on an original idea Abudu, Heidi Uys and Bode Asiyanbi.

Confirming the partnership brokered by Creative Arts Agency (CAA), Abudu wrote on Instagram:

“RECLAIM is our first big-budget, global series, set partly in the UK. It is a dream come true for two reasons – first, it is a partnership with BBC Studios; second, the project will debut under EbonyLife Productions UK.

“We set up EbonyLife in London because our global strategy includes expansion to the UK. As Nigerians and Africans, we should see ourselves as world citizens and our storytelling, locations and networks should extend to every corner of the globe. I am delighted with this opportunity to extend our reach into the UK with a great story and a formidable partner.”

Written by BAFTA Breakthrough Brit Rowan Athale, the series follows a team of art thieves looking to return artworks removed by the British Empire 125 years ago from the Kingdom of Benin, back to their home in Nigeria.

The new partnership follows reports of a first-look deal with Sony Pictures Television set to span for two years.