Renowned Nigerian filmmaker Kunle Afolayan has staunchly defended his latest project, Anikulapo: The Ghoul Awakens, against a wave of criticism, asserting that his creative works are designed for “intellectuals” and “thinkers,” rather than for mass appeal.
In a video statement posted to his Instagram page on Tuesday, the award-winning director addressed negative reviews following the January 30, 2026, Netflix premiere of the series—a sequel to his 2022 hit movie and the 2024 series Rise of the Spectre.
Responding to viewers who described the new season’s storyline as “confusing,” “scattered,” or difficult to follow, Afolayan argued that his storytelling style is intentional and nuanced.
“There’s something that is very peculiar about the kind of films that we make. We make films for the intellectual, not gbasgbos [mindless action/noise]. We make films for people who can think,” Afolayan stated.
He further emphasized that he does not seek universal validation for his art. “I don’t expect that everybody will like the film. And I don’t even expect that everybody will understand the film. But I expect that the people I’m trying to appeal to the people that I had at the back of my mind when I was conceiving the ideas. I know they will get it, and they got it.”
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Addressing specific complaints that the plot was “all over the place,” the filmmaker urged patience, drawing a parallel to the complex narrative structure of the global hit series Game of Thrones. He suggested that viewers were judging the work prematurely without seeing the complete picture.
“It is a series that has many episodes. What you have seen are just a few of the episodes. How do you conclude in your brain that it is not good when you have not even seen the entire thing?
“When you watch a series like Game of Thrones, you have to wait every week before a new episode comes out. So you haven’t even seen everything and then you concluded that the stories are all over the place” he asked.
Despite the social media backlash, Afolayan claimed the series has been well-received by a more academic and critical audience. “I’ve heard from scholars, from professors, from deep thinkers, from people who don’t only think about now,” he noted, expressing gratitude for their feedback.
Anikulapo: The Ghoul Awakens (Season 2) continues the epic saga set in the Oyo Empire, blending Yoruba mythology with political intrigue. The new season features returning stars like Bimbo Ademoye and Sola Sobowale, alongside new additions including KieKie and Antar Laniyan. While the franchise has been a massive success for Netflix in Nigeria, this latest installment has polarized audiences, sparking a debate on the balance between artistic depth and accessible storytelling in Nollywood.
