8 Nollywood & South African Films That Deserved Sequels (Instead of the Ones We Got)

Africa is not suffering from a shortage of sequels — it’s suffering from the wrong sequels.

Rom-com universes that refuse to die. Third entries in franchises that feel like recycled WhatsApp forwards.. Spin-offs nobody asked for while genuinely rich, layered films are left as one-and-done.

So, instead of yet another lukewarm follow-up to an already stretched storyline (no names, but certain happiness “trilogies” and over-explained fantasy worlds come to mind, here are 8 Nollywood and South African films that actually deserved sequel energy.

1. The Figurine (Nigeria, 2009)

Dir: Kunle Afolayan

A supernatural thriller that basically kicked off the “New Nollywood prestige era,” The Figurine: Araromire blends Yoruba mythology, fate, and paranoia into something that still holds up visually and thematically. It won multiple awards, helped reposition Kunle Afolayan as a serious auteur, and left viewers with an open-ended question: was it all coincidence, or was the curse real?

Why it deserved a sequel

Not a lazy “Part 2”, but an anthology-style follow-up: same Araromire myth, different time and place. Imagine:

• A Lagos tech bro’s life unraveling after “ironically” buying the figurine at an art auction.

• A diaspora story where the statue ends up in London or Joburg, dragging African spirituality into a Western rationalist setting.

  
  

Instead, the industry poured sequel budgets into lighter franchises, while The Figurine’s world — rich enough for an entire horror universe — stayed sealed in one outstanding film.

2. Tsotsi (South Africa, 2005)

Dir: Gavin Hood 

Tsotsi did what very few African films have done: it won an Academy Award for Best International Feature Film, putting South African cinema firmly on the global map. The story of a young Johannesburg gangster unexpectedly caring for a baby after a carjacking is raw, humane, and emotionally devastating.

Why it deserved a sequel

Not a cheap “Tsotsi Returns”, but a time-jump character study:

• What does Tsotsi look like 10–15 years later?

• Did the attempt at redemption stick, or did systemic inequality drag him back?

• How did Johannesburg change, and what does that do to someone who once stood at the edge of change?

  
  

Instead, the Oscar-winning story stands alone while lesser, safer concepts across the continent have quietly grown into multi-film sagas.

3. The Black Book (Nigeria, 2023)

Dir: Editi Effiong

Made on a reported $1m budget, The Black Book hit No. 1 globally on Netflix’s film chart, clocking over 20 million views and becoming one of the most successful African titles on the platform in 2023. A revenge thriller anchored in Nigeria’s violent political past, it gave us a quietly broken, deadly father figure (Richard Mofe-Damijo) and a web of corruption spanning decades.

Why it deserved a sequel

Because it already feels like Chapter One of a universe:

• A prequel digging deeper into the era of military rule and black-ops operations.

• A spin-off following another name in the “black book” who decides to fight back.

• Or even a limited series sequel that explores the fallout of exposing such a network.

  
  

Meanwhile, we’ve seen average rom-com sequels greenlit off far weaker numbers. You can’t tell us The Black Book’s global performance didn’t earn a second life.

4. Five Fingers for Marseilles (South Africa, 2017)

Dir: Michael Matthews 

A Xhosa-language neo-Western set in a rural South African town, Five Fingers for Marseilles reimagines the Western genre through apartheid’s scars and modern corruption. It premiered at TIFF, earned strong critical reviews for its visual ambition and social allegory, and has quietly become a cult favourite.

Why it deserved a sequel

The world of Marseilles is screaming for a Western anthology:

• Other “fingers” and their fates in different towns or eras.

• Another generation dealing with the myth of what the original five stood for.

• Cross-border stories in Lesotho, Zimbabwe, or Namibia using the same Western-African aesthetic.

  
  

Instead, South Africa’s more commercial titles saw follow-ups, while this bold genre experiment remained a singular bullet.

5. October 1 (Nigeria, 2014)

Dir: Kunle Afolayan

A period thriller set on the eve of Nigerian independence, October 1 follows a northern detective sent to a small Western town to solve a series of murders before the flag changes hands. It’s lush, political, beautifully shot, and won major festival and AMVCA awards for its craftsmanship.

Why it deserved a sequel

Not a direct continuation, but a “Nigeria Through the Years” crime anthology:

• 1967: a case unfolding as the civil war erupts.

• 1983: a mystery set against the first major coup.

• 1993: crime story during the annulment of the elections.

  
  

Same investigative frame, different era. Instead, we watched other, less ambitious projects become multi-film franchises while October 1 — perfectly positioned to be Nigeria’s own historical crime saga — remained a single chapter.

6. Vaya (South Africa, 2016)

Dir: Akin Omotoso

Vaya weaves three intertwined stories of rural South Africans travelling to Johannesburg with big expectations, only to be swallowed by the city’s brutal realities. It premiered at TIFF, pulled in multiple festival nominations and wins, and has been praised for its layered empathy and textured cinematography.

Why it deserved a sequel

The concept is tailor-made for a city anthology franchise:

• Return to the train years later with three new travellers and entirely different storylines.

• Expand to other African cities (Lagos, Nairobi, Accra) using the same “arrivals” structure.

• Show how the original characters’ choices ripple as urban conditions worsen or improve.

  
  

In a world where some film trilogies feel like stretched telenovelas, Vaya’s structure was practically begging to become a recurring framework for African urban storytelling.

7. Gangs of Lagos (Nigeria, 2023)

Dir: Jáde Osiberu

Prime Video’s first African Original movie, Gangs of Lagos is a muscular, emotionally charged crime drama set in Isale Eko, tracing a group of friends pulled into gang politics as they grow up. It premiered at TIFF and rolled out globally on Prime, becoming a flagship title for Nollywood on international streaming.

Why it deserved a sequel

Because this is a universe, not just a film:

• You can track the political evolution of Lagos through the gangs.

• New younger crews could rise, treating the original cast as urban legends.

• Or jump backwards: prequel stories about how the old “Oga” generation built the current underworld.

  
  

Instead of yet another low-stakes comedy sequel, the industry could easily have doubled down on Gangs of Lagos as a grounded, long-form crime franchise — Africa’s answer to Gomorrah or Top Boy.

8. Knuckle City (South Africa, 2019)

Dir: Jahmil X.T. Qubeka 

Set in Mdantsane, one of the world’s boxing capitals, Knuckle City follows an aging boxer and his criminal brother as they chase one last shot at survival. It premiered at TIFF, became South Africa’s official Oscar submission, and swept multiple SAFTAs, with critics calling it a gritty, visually striking reinvention of the boxing film.

Why it deserved a sequel

Because it feels like Episode 1 of a township crime saga:

• A follow-up focused on the next generation of fighters watching Dudu’s rise and fall.

• A prequel centred on their father, linking apartheid-era hustling to today’s underworld.

• Or a limited series that digs deeper into Mdantsane as a character in its own right.

  
  

Instead, the film stands alone, while safer, more generic projects quietly collect second and third outings.