Nollywood star Femi Adebayo is taking audiences back to 19th-century Lagos in King Kosoko: The Battle for Lagos, a major historical epic that explores the struggle between a powerful African king and the expanding British Empire.
Directed by Adebayo Tijani, the Yoruba-language film tells the story of Oba Kosoko, the 12th Oba of Lagos, whose resistance to British imperial ambitions became one of the defining conflicts in the history of the city.
Set between 1833 and 1852, the film follows Kosoko through royal succession battles, political rivalries and betrayals before he faces increasing pressure from British authorities and the Royal Navy.
The story culminates in the 1851 bombardment of Lagos, remembered in Yoruba history as the “Salt Water War”, a conflict that helped shape the political future of Lagos and preceded Britain’s eventual annexation of the city in 1861.
Femi Adebayo plays the central role of Oba Kosoko, portraying the monarch as a warrior, strategist and leader determined to resist foreign domination.
The film features a large Nollywood cast, including Odunlade Adekola, Jide Kosoko, Fathia Williams, Gabriel Afolayan, Femi Branch, Aisha Lawal, Kola Ajeyemi, Tina Uba and Sola Kosoko.
The project also carries a strong connection to the royal family. Producer Segun Olojo-Kosoko is a seventh-generation descendant of Oba Kosoko and has described the production as an opportunity to tell his family’s history from an African perspective.
Filmed in Epe and Ijebu, the production features more than 70 actors and was shot using high-end cinema technology, with Dolby Atmos sound and a 4K HDR finish.
The film will premiere at IMAX Lekki in Lagos on August 23, 2026, before opening in cinemas across Nigeria on August 28 through FilmOne Distribution.
Presented in Yoruba with English subtitles, King Kosoko: The Battle for Lagos is positioned not only as a Nollywood historical drama but as a cinematic attempt to bring a significant chapter of African history to audiences around the world.
