‘King Shaka’: Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Mustafa Shakir Among 4 Cast In Showtime Series

deadline.com:

Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje (Oz) and Mustafa Shakir (Luke Cage) are set as leads opposite Charles Babalola in Showtime’s King Shaka drama series.

Additionally, Terry Pheto (Tsotsi) and Lerato Mvelase (Justice Served) will recur in the series executive produced by Antoine Fuqua.Rooted in actual events, King Shaka tells the story of the Zulu Empire founder Shaka (Babalola) and his unlikely rise to power, uniting multiple tribes across vast stretches of Africa in the early 19th century to transform his power into legend, on par with history’s most seminal figures.

The outcast son of a Zulu Chief, Shaka is a visionary who is prophesized to become a king like none before him. In ferocious battles that test the body and soul, in alliances that test the bonds of love and friendship, a complex sociological system plays out that renders the human cost front and center, for the victors as well as the vanquished, all in an effort to carve out a semblance of identity, fulfillment and ultimately, survival.Akinnuoye-Agbaje will portray Zwide, the sadistic Chief of Ndwandwe who, although a loving family man, employs ruthless fighting methods and terrifying brutal strength.

Pheto will play Juma, his devotedly pious yet conspiring wife. Shakir is Dingiswayo, an ousted prince who becomes Shaka’s mentor and de facto father figure.