Toyin Abraham’s Cast Unveiling May Force Funke Akindele’s Team to Strategy Shift for ‘The Four’

Toyin Abraham’s gradual unveiling of the cast of her forthcoming movie, Bestie, appears to have added another layer to the increasingly competitive December cinema season, with sources close to Funke Akindele’s camp claiming that the development is being closely watched.

Abraham began unveiling the cast of Bestie earlier this month, with veteran actors Pete Edochie and Sola Sobowale among the names announced.

The filmmaker has since continued the strategy, revealing major names one after another rather than releasing the entire cast at once.

The latest announcements have included rapper Reminisce, whom Abraham described as the “GOAT of all GOATS”. The rapper will play Kazeem, also known as Alaga Big Star, in the movie.

She has also unveiled comedian and content creator Lizzy Jay, real name Adebola Adeyela, as Kaffy, describing her as the “GOAT of comedy skits” and asking audiences to anticipate what the character will bring to the movie.

The combination has drawn attention because Abraham is gradually revealing a cast that cuts across different sections of the entertainment industry, from established Nollywood veterans to a major indigenous rapper and one of Nigeria’s recognisable digital comedy creators.

Those in the know hinted Per Second News that  the decision to bring Reminisce into the project, in particular, could prove significant, given his popularity beyond the traditional movie audience and his previous acting appearance in King of Boys.

The successive reveals have also placed Bestie alongside Akindele’s The Four: No One Fights Alone, which is scheduled to arrive in cinemas on December 11, five days before Abraham’s film opens on December 16.

Both projects are being distributed by FilmOne.

Akindele’s The Four already boasts an extensive ensemble featuring Akindele herself, Waje, Chioma Akpotha, Bisola Aiyeola, Lateef Adedimeji, Richard Mofe-Damijo, Timini Egbuson, Ali Nuhu, Wunmi Toriola, Uzor Arukwe, Ronke Oshodi Oke, Antar Laniyan, Lolo1, Shoday and others.

Sources close to Akindele’s camp, however, insisted that the filmmaker is unfazed by the latest developments and is not interested in getting drawn into a public back-and-forth over cast announcements.

According to the source, Akindele is believed to be keeping her cards close to her chest and carefully studying the latest trends in movie promotion before deciding how far to take the campaign for The Four.

“She is watching what is happening. She is not the type to jump into every trend simply because everybody else is doing it,” the source said.

The source further claimed that Akindele’s team could rejig aspects of the promotional strategy for The Four as the December release date approaches, particularly after assessing how audiences respond to the various promotional moves coming from competing productions.