Nicholas Weinstock, the Emmy-nominated producer of Severance, is on board to produce The Black Book 2 – Old Scores, the sequel to Editi Effiong’s 2023 Nigerian revenge thriller that smashed records worldwide.
The original Black Book, made for just $1 million, hit no. 3 on Netflix‘s global charts in 2023, ranking in the top 10 in more than 69 countries and racking up more than 20 million views worldwide. It stars Richard Mofe-Damijo as Paul Edima, a former hitman and deacon, who takes revenge after his son is framed and killed by a corrupt police unit.
Weinstock’s Invention Studios is producing The Black Book 2 along with Effiong’s Anakle Films. Effiong returns as writer and director on the sequel. The feature picks up where Black Book ended, with Paul Edima continuing his assault on the corrupt system. A blurb for the film says the second installment will “delve deeper…into themes of justice, redemption, and societal unrest in contemporary Nigeria.”
“The Black Book showed us that local stories can spark global conversations,” said Effiong, in a statement. “With Old Scores, we’re not just continuing a story, we’re continuing a movement — one that affirms the power of African voices to shape cinema worldwide.”
“What Editi’s created with The Black Book is unique in its power: not just a great action film but a film franchise of extraordinary skill, ambition, and worldwide commercial appeal,” added Weinstock. “It’s a phenomenal time for African and international creators to be delivering work at the quality level of traditional Hollywood and actually beyond – and to be stunning global audiences with sheer imagination and excellence. And there’s no better example of that than Old Scores and its game-changing potential.”
Weinstock’s Invention Studios produced June Squibb action-comedy Thelma (2024), and Weinstock’s production credits include features like Queenpins (2021) and Dinner in America (2020), and the Emmy-nominated Showtime series Escape at Dannemora. He is one of the producers of AppleTV+ hit Severance, which has been nominated for 53 Emmy Awards.
The Black Book 2 isn’t Weinstock’s first Nigerian project. He is also producing Clarissa, Arie and Chuko Esiri’s Nigerian-set modern adaptation of the Virginia Woolf novel Mrs. Dalloway, which stars Sophie Okonedo, David Oyelowo, and Ayo Edebiri, and which Neon recently picked up for U.S. distribution.
Anakle Films is represented by 3Point0 Labs, with Effiong represented by Zero Gravity for writing and directing. Weinstock is represented by CAA and Aron Baumel of Goodman Genow Schenkman Smelkinson + Christopher.
