That’s an unpleasant surprise: while filming for the series produced by The Equalizer director Antoine Fuqua was supposed to wrap up in just under two weeks, the American cable television network Showtime on “King Shaka‘ Pulled the plug – that comes from an exclusive report by out. It is the latest series to be canceled as part of the programming overhaul resulting from Showtime’s merger with Paramount+.
But there is reason to hope: because although twelve days of shooting are still missing, there is already enough material to put together a first season of the series – and reshoots could also be started. It is therefore quite possible that the series, which has now been put on hold, will be revived by another provider – the producers are already exploring the possibilities.
“King Shaka”: historical epic with a tumult of battles
King Shaka is one of the biggest productions in Showtime history. The history sequence tells the story of Shaka (Charles Babalola), the founder of the Zulu Empire and his bloody journey to the top. Shaka united various tribes in large parts of Africa in the early 19th century and fought bitter battles for power and glory. Due to the participation of many actors and the complicated fight scenes, the budget of the series is said to have increased to 90 million dollars.
By the way, “King Shaka” is not alone with his fate. As part of the restructuring, two other Showtime-produced drama series were sold shortly before completion: “The Talented Mr. Ripley” was sold by Showtime after 3 years of development and has now found a new home with Netflix. “Three Women”, starring Shailene Woodley, Betty Gilpin (“GLOW”) and Dewanda Wise (“Jurassic Word 3”), was also passed on to Starz by Showtime after filming.