Charles Babalola to Lead Showtime Drama ‘King Shaka’

Charles Babalola (“The Outlaws”) has been cast as Shaka in the highly anticipated new series “King Shaka,” Showtime announced on Thursday.

The epic drama tells the story of one man’s personal journey from a stigmatized childhood to becoming a legendary king. Babalola will join series regulars Aïssa Maïga (“The Fear Index”) as Nandi, Shaka’s devoted mother who will sacrifice everything to fulfill her son’s destiny; and Thando DIomo (“The Woman King”) as Pampatha, a herder who finds her fate forever entwined with Shaka’s.

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Also featured among the cast is Thapelo Mokoena (“Bulletproof”), who will guest star as Gendeyana, a Qwabe leader who grows close to Shaka and Nandi; and Warren Masemola (“Queen Sono”) as Magazwa, who provides safe haven to Shaka and Nandi but at a cost.

Production will take place next month in King Shaka’s South African hometown, KwaZulu-Natal (KZN). The series will be fully shot in South Africa and is scheduled to debut on Showtime in 2023.

Babalola’s TV credits include “Black Mirror: Hated in the Nation,” “Bancroft” and “Thirteen.” He also starred in “Gretel & Hansel,” “Mary Magdalene,” as well as “The Legend of Tarzan.” He will next be seen in the upcoming feature “Borderlands.” 

“This outstanding international cast is, quite literally, a dream team,” said creators Olu Odebunmi and Tolu Awosika. “The powerful story of King Shaka and the Zulu Nation speaks to the very heart of everything we identify with as Africans. It’s a blessing and honor to share the greatness of the Zulu people’s history with a full and nuanced approach that serves as a microcosm for African history across the continent. We couldn’t be more excited to reintroduce this narrative from the perspective of its own people and share it with the world.”

Produced by CBS Studios in conjunction with Propagate and Fuqua Films, “King Shaka” is executive produced by Odebunmi, Awosika, Antoine Fuqua, Bridget Carpenter, Propagate’s Ben Silverman, Howard T. Owens and Rodney Ferrell. Seith Mann, who is directing the pilot, and Spencer Medof are also executive producers. Scott Greenberg is a producer, and Michael Callas is producing on behalf of Fuqua Films.

Babalola is represented by Alchemy Entertainment, Denton-Brierley and Sloane, Offer, Weber & Dern. Maïga is represented by Margrit Polak Management in the US and Agence Adequat in the EU. DIomo is represented by Cultivate Entertainment and Skrzyniarz & Mallean. Mokoena is represented by Figjam Agency. Masemola is represented by Moonyeenn Lee and Associates.

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