Yetide Badaki to star as Queen Nzinga in upcoming drama series

American Gods-actor Yetide Badaki will star as Queen Nzinga in the upcoming drama series about the African warrior queen.

The series is based on a true story of Nzinga's transformation from an innocent princess into a fearless warrior queen. Set in 17th century Angola, the story will follow the fearless warrior, who rages a ferocious 40-year guerrilla war against the kingdom's formidable enemies, and the cruel subjugation of her people by Portuguese slavers. Nzinga would come to sacrifice everything to defend her people's dignity, liberty, and freedom.

In a statement, Badaki shared that she is thrilled to portray the character on screen. "It has been a long-held dream of mine to bring the story of Nzinga to the screen. Her courage, determination, and passion resonated from the moment I laid eyes on historical depictions of the legendary queen. I am thrilled by Starz's continued commitment to much-needed stories about and by historically excluded voices and the deeply talented team being built to share this epic narrative with the world."

The Starz series will be executive produced by Badaki, Mo Abudu, Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson, and Steven S. DeKnight. An official release date is yet to be announced.