This is a story of brotherhood, betrayal, and the brutal will to survive.
With To Kill a Monkey, Kemi Adetiba steps boldly outside her acclaimed King of Boys universe, delivering a sharp, male-driven crime drama that marks a striking shift in her storytelling style. Premiering July 18 on Netflix, the eight-part series showcases Adetiba’s range as creator, director, and showrunner a creative trifecta she wears with signature authority.
Gone are the political chessboards and fierce matriarchs of her past work. In their place, To Kill a Monkey plunges into a darker, leaner world where loyalty is currency and survival is war. For the first time in her directorial career, Adetiba goes solo without long-time muse and powerhouse actress Sola Sobowale. From The Wedding Party to the unforgettable Eniola Salami, Sobowale’s fire has been a constant force. Here, her absence is palpable and intentional.
In the spotlight instead are William Benson and Bucci Franklin two actors known for their emotional range and magnetic screen presence. Benson (Crime and Justice Lagos, A Green Fever) plays Efemini, a principled man pushed to the edge of morality. Franklin (Rattlesnake, Far From Home) plays his flamboyant yet enigmatic friend, whose dangerous lifestyle offers both escape and entrapment.
As Efemini spirals deeper into a world of deceit and shifting loyalties, To Kill a Monkey poses chilling questions: How far would you go to rewrite your story? And at what point does reinvention tip into self-destruction?
True to Adetiba’s style, the series is visually crisp, emotionally charged, and morally complex. The stakes are high. The truths are gray. And the journey? Unforgiving.
Backing Benson and Franklin is a formidable ensemble cast that blends veteran gravitas with rising talent: Stella Damasus, Bimbo Akintola, Michael Ejoor, Chidi Mokeme, Lilian Afegbai, Ireti Doyle, Teniola Aladese, and Sunshine Roseman all bring depth to an already explosive narrative.
The series was first teased in August 2023, with Adetiba revealing it was deep into production under her Kemi Adetiba Visuals banner in collaboration with Remi Adetiba. Filming wrapped by October, with post-production unfolding quietly until now.
To Kill a Monkey premieres globally on Netflix, July 18, 2025.
