Animated “Iyanu” Creatives Share Favorite Parts of Production and Series – Interview

Members of the crew and cast of the animated Iyanu reveal their favorite parts of creating the series and its universal appeal.

Iyanu, a new Cartoon Network series based on the graphic novel by Roye Okupe offers a promising adventure in a world inspired by Nigerian culture and mythology. The series follows the titular heroine, who discovers that she has Divine Powers and must set off on an adventure with her friends to discover her abilities and save her people from an ancient curse. The Geekiary briefly sat down with series writer Brandon Easton, supervising director Vincent Edwards, and voice actor Samuel Kugbiyi (Toye) in advance of the upcoming series premiere to discuss the production process and the appeal of the series. 

The Geekiary: How did each of you become involved with the series and what has been your favorite part of the production process?

Brandon Easton (Series Writer): I was hired to adapt the script from Roye’s original graphic novel, and it was a great experience on every conceivable level because I had never seen anything like it. I was very shocked to even have that opportunity come across my desk. So, the moment I saw it, I knew there was something very different about Iyanu. For me, the best part about it has been the collaborative efforts from so many incredibly talented people, very smart people, very accomplished folks.

I was the head writer, I ran the writer’s room, and we assembled a really great team of people. And then the directors and the storyboard team, extraordinary folk. I feel like the team that came together for this project was to me the greatest thing about it.

Vincent Edwards (Supervising Director): Similarly, I came on as a supervising director to lead the pre-production and the animation production itself. I went to Korea several times, a lot of plane hopping on this gig. We had an extraordinarily talented team, some of these guys I worked with on and off for years. There’s a real benefit to having people that have a proven track record of doing stuff that ups the caliber level…. We just made cartoons, and we had a good time at the end of the day.

Sam Kugbiyi (Voice of Toye): In my case, I became involved with Iyanu just like any other actor or voice talent. There was an audition, and I will say when I saw the audition…I had a bunch of auditions before that, and I wasn’t getting callbacks. I was like, “Ugh, maybe this is just another one. I’m just going to do it and get it over with.” And the funny thing is, Serah [Johnson], who plays Iyanu, told me, “Hey man, you just gotta try out. You never know, just keep going. Just try it.” I tried it, and a couple of weeks and or months later, I don’t remember, Serah reached out and she said, “Check your email, check your email, check your phones.” And I was like, “What is going on?” And she said, “Check everywhere!”

So, I checked everywhere, apparently the casting director tried to reach me on two of my emails, on LinkedIn, and somewhere else. I was just like, “Oh, my goodness!” I was freaking out. She told me, “We’re not going to do much today, just do a callback.” I did the callback, and I think it was like six hours later, she was like, “Okay, we like what we’ve heard, we know you can do it, you’ve got the role already, we just want to confirm and make sure everything is good.” And I was, it still didn’t feel real to me. It didn’t feel real.

I would say the first day I got into the studio, I put the headphones on, they had sent us some of the script before we started the studio sessions. When I read the script, I was like, “Oh my god, this is amazing.” The little bits that I was seeing at the time, and when I got into the studio with the headphones on, I was so nervous, and I was so happy at the same time. It must have sounded weird because we had to do a few retakes because I was just smiling throughout the studio because I just couldn’t believe it was my life, and I got a chance to be on this project.

Every couple of months, I would just be like, “Somebody pinch me, this isn’t real.” I will say for sure, being, even until this day, until this morning, I was like, “Okay, we’re going to the press. I’m not dreaming. I pinched myself a little bit just to be sure that this isn’t a dream.” I feel incredibly lucky, incredibly blessed to be able to be in the same room with these amazing men that I’m looking at right now. To be in the same room with you, to be interviewed. That’s how I got involved and the greatest feeling for me is that it feels like a dream. I feel blessed, and it feels amazing.

TG: What elements of Iyanu do you think will resonate most with audiences?

Easton: I feel like the camaraderie between what we call “Team Chosen,” Iyanu, Biyi, and Toye, and Ekun, is going to be incredible. I feel that folks who have seen it already have clued in on it, have already connected to some of those characters. I feel that the way that the show is constructed, people will very quickly latch on to the camaraderie and the family, and the fact that people eat together, which is very much a Nigerian thing, and also a human thing. The communal aspects of the show I feel is what’s going to grab people, honestly. I can’t wait to see how people respond.

Edwards: I think Iyanu’s got a classic hero’s journey of discovering who she is and what her purpose is and having a destiny that’s kind of heavy to carry. But me personally, I just want a giant, magic panther to ride around on.

Kugbiyi: [Laughs] That is so great. For me, I feel like everyone is going to find something to resonate with. Because personally, as one of the cast, I can relate to my character I played, Toye. Especially, to deal with toxic masculinity and all of the kind of things that we hear that is happening in the world today. Toye embodies that you don’t have to have a kind of stereotypical masculinity to be a hero, to be useful, to support someone who is on a journey, to be a support, to be a friend. And it’s such a beautiful way to be a nerd, being a nerd is so magical in this series, so beautiful. And I feel like a lot of young girls will be able to relate to Iyanu, because yes, she might have magical powers and all that, but in the sense that everyone has magic inside them, and you’ve just got to discover it. Every girl, every little boy, every little girl, everyone, even adults will relate to that. Because we all have doubts, and that is what Iyanu is about, overcoming your doubts and being your true self, and it’s just so beautiful.

Edwards: That was a great bit about Toye, there’s a line from the series where he says, “I want to be a word warrior.” People forget the power of words. You don’t have to have a sword or magic powers. You can actually do magic with words.

Iyanu will premiere on Cartoon Network on April 5 and be available to stream on Max the next day.

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Author: Jessica Wolff

Jessica Wolff is a graduate of Drexel University with a BS in Film/Video. She has a passion for entertainment and representation in entertainment. She currently resides outside of Washington, DC.

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