After 8-year break, Genevieve Nnaji lands major role in BBC’s ‘Wahala’

After nearly eight years away from acting, veteran Nollywood actress Genevieve Nnaji is making a major return to the screen with a lead role in BBC Studios’ upcoming thriller series, Wahala.

The celebrated actress, whose last on-screen appearance came in the 2018 movie Lionheart, will star in the six-part drama adaptation of Wahala, a novel written by BAFTA-nominated screenwriter Theresa Ikoko.

Produced by BBC Studios through its Firebird Pictures division, the series is expected to air on BBC One and stream on BBC iPlayer.

The production also features a star-studded cast including Adelayo Adedayo, Deborah Ayorinde, Cush Jumbo and Susan Wokoma.

Adapted from ‘Wahala’ by author Nikki May, the thriller follows the lives of four Nigerian-British women in London as buried secrets, complicated friendships and disturbing memories begin to unravel.

Reacting to her return to acting, Nnaji described the project as both exciting and deeply engaging.

I’m very happy to be joining Wahalaand to be working with such a brilliant team. It’s an intriguing story, and I’m excited to be a part of it,” she said.

Executive producer Elizabeth Kilgarriff also expressed confidence in the series, describing the cast lineup as exceptional.

“We are so proud to be announcing our incredible cast for Wahala and can’t wait to see them breathe life into these wonderful characters,” she stated.

Nnaji’s return is already generating excitement among fans, especially after years away from acting following her directorial debut in Lionheart, which became one of Nigeria’s most talked-about films globally.