PanAfrican studio Restless Global has started attaching top talent on THE TRADE, an ambitious 13-episode TV series developed by Restless Global’s Marie Lora-Mungai and Tendeka Matatu.
Set in the murky world of the West African drug trade and based on real facts, THE TRADE follows the investigations of an undercover agent from the Nigerian Drug Law Enforcement agency (NDLEA) on a clandestine mission to take down a ruthless South American drug cartel operating in the region.
When he finds himself trapped on the wrong side of the law with no way back to normal life, he must maintain his cover in order to survive and finds himself being seduced deeper and deeper into the torrid depth of THE TRADE.
Early talent attachments include award-winning directors, Zee Ntuli (HARD TO GET) and Kunle Afolyan (OCTOBER 1), Nigerian writer Kemi Adesoye (PHONE SWAP, TINSEL, HOTEL MAJESTIC) and South African Barry Berk (THE LAB, SLEEPER’S WAKE).
Casting has also began for the lead roles, with actors from Nigeria, Angola, and various other countries being considered. The producers are also looking at actors from the UK and US African diaspora.
A complex, character-driven crime drama that involves African and international law enforcement agencies, government officials, South American crime syndicates, and powerless victims, THE TRADE takes its viewers into a web of intrigue that stretches across the continent and beyond.
“The title – THE TRADE – is the essence of the series,” says Lora-Mungai. “Every action, relationship, decision and consequence is a trade, an exchange, a bargain, a negotiation, whether it is in the physical world or within the characters’ moral or spiritual selves.”
“THE TRADE is our flagship project,” said Matatu. “A truly pan-African project that we believe has breakout potential.”
THE TRADE is currently being financed and is available for pre-sales.
Launched in 2015 by media veterans Marie Lora-Mungai and Tendeka Matatu, Restless Global is the first integrated studio in Africa, engaged in every aspect of the content development, production and distribution pipeline through its various divisions (Restless Talent Management, Buni Media, Ten10 Films, Buni.tv).