South Africa’s record-breaking isiZulu drama Shaka iLembe is taking its story beyond the continent, with StudioCanal launching the series to international buyers ahead of Mipcom 2026.
The series will be formally offered to buyers outside Africa, positioning one of South Africa’s most successful locally produced dramas for a wider global audience.
Season three of the series, now titled Shaka iLembe: Zulu King tells the origin story of King Shaka kaSenzangakhona in isiZulu, with African filmmakers and historians at the centre of its storytelling.
The series has built a solid record here at home, with its first two seasons earning it the accolade of the highest-rated drama in DStv’s history and the most-searched television series in South Africa in 2023.
It also holds the record for the most Safta wins by a drama series in a single year, collecting 12 awards, including Best Drama Series.
For executive producer Desireé Markgraaff, taking Shaka iLembe to the international market represents the culmination of more than a decade of work by the creative team at Bomb Productions.
“Our ambition was to tell this story with the scale, drama and epic sweep of world-class mainstream storytelling, while portraying the Africa we know and love with the dignity, complexity and humanity it deserves.”
Markgraaff said the partnership with M-Net, StudioCanal and Canal+ had made the production possible, while Oscar-nominated director Angus Gibson had provided the creative vision for all three seasons.
Nomzamo Mbatha, executive producer and the actress who portrays the character of Queen Nandi, said the series “is proof of what African storytelling can achieve when it’s given the room to be ambitious, told at scale, and shared from the inside out”.
“Portraying Queen Nandi, a woman whose courage helped build a kingdom and whose values still shape our understanding of the modern Zulu woman, has been an honour and a career highlight,” she said.
The new season introduces Lerato Mvelase as Queen Mpikase, Aiden Scott as British trader Henry Francis Fynn, Conrad Kemp as Lt Francis Farewell and Wonder Ndlovu as Prince Mpande.
StudioCanal CEO and Canal+ chief content officer Anna Marsh described the series as a “monumental achievement in television”, highlighting its creative talent, authenticity and universal portrayal of legendary historical figures.
Nomsa Philiso, vice-president of content at Canal+ Africa, said the international launch “marks an important moment” for this extraordinary franchise [and] for African storytelling as a whole”.
“MultiChoice has spent decades investing in local stories because we believe cultural authenticity and global appeal are not opposing ideas; they are mutually reinforcing.”
Philiso said Shaka iLembe demonstrates that stories can find international audiences precisely because of how specifically and authentically they are rooted in their cultures.
The drama has already expanded into Francophone Africa through CanalAfrique+ Magic, which has delivered 24 episodes across its first two seasons.
The production has also represented a major investment in South Africa’s creative economy. MultiChoice describes it as its largest single investment in a local production, with more than 20,000 jobs created across production.
StudioCanal’s international push comes as the Canal+ Group continues to expand its presence in South Africa following its acquisition of MultiChoice Group.
The studio is also involved in several other major productions in the country, including Bill Condon’s feature film The Road Home, starring Thabo Rametsi, Cynthia Erivo, Guy Pearce, Johnny Flynn and John Legend.
- Shaka iLembe, a record-breaking isiZulu drama from South Africa, is being launched internationally by StudioCanal ahead of Mipcom 2026.
- The series has earned the highest ratings for a drama in DStv’s history, was the most-searched TV series in South Africa in 2023, and holds a record 12 Safta awards in a single year.
- Season three, titled Shaka iLembe: Zulu King, tells the origin story of King Shaka kaSenzangakhona and features African filmmakers and historians in its storytelling.
- The drama has significantly contributed to South Africa’s creative economy, representing MultiChoice’s largest local production investment and creating over 20,000 jobs.
- StudioCanal's international push comes amid Canal+ Group's expansion in South Africa following its acquisition of MultiChoice Group, with ongoing involvement in other major South African productions.
