John Boyega’s N9bn movie project could be Nollywood's access into Hollywood

Since John Boyega announced his decision to pump at least N9 billion into a movie with a full Nigerian theme, movie stars have begun making inquiries on how to be a part of the project.

Two prominent Nigerian movie stars, Genevieve Nnaji andOmotola Jalade Ekeinde are being tipped by movie watchers to join the cast of the movie - barring the decision of the movie director whose identity is yet to be announced.

Genevieve and Omotola starred in the first Nollywood film I watched - Boyega

Boyega already revealed that the first Nollywood movie he watched while growing up was Blood Sisters, which featured Omotola and Genevieve.

“I’m very interested in original Nigerian stories. I grew up on Nollywood. The first Nollywood film I ever watched was Blood Sisters with Genevieve Nnaji," the 26-year-old actor told Power Lunch West Africa host, Onyi Sunday during his interview at CNBC Africa.

With this, Boyega might have hinted viewers the possibility of pairing the two movie stars, who have hardly worked together after a much hyped and imaginary rivalry.

Why Boyega’s movie is a big deal to Nollywood

Considering his star power as an A-list actor in Hollywood, John Boyega’s involvement in Nollywood might be key to unlock the industry’s greatness.

It is no news that the Nigerian movie industry has never really broken fully into Hollywood, even though the industry players have been at the periphery for long.

Nollywood’s best shot at gaining Hollywood’s attention has been the involvement of B-list Hollywood acts in Nigerian movies.

The list includes but not limited to Jeta Amata’s Black Gold which features Mikey Rourke, Kim Basinger, Akon and Sarak Wayne Callies; Inale, which features Hakeem Kae Kazim; Ay Makun’s 30 days in Atlanta which features Vivica Fox and 93 days which stars Danny Glover and Alistair MacKenzie.

Reasons Genevieve and Omotola will fight for a role in the movie project

Both Genevieve Nnaji and Omotola Jalade Ekeinde have tried to break into the Hollywood after ‘conquering’ the Nigerian and West African market with no luck.

It’s either they got a cameo appearance or were not professionally qualified enough to get major or even supporting roles in their different tries.

In 2010, the rumor was rife that Genevieve has been considered for a role in the James Bond movie, Skyfall but she lost out to Naomi Harris, an English actress who started her acting career as a child actress just like Genevieve Nnaji.

However, Genevieve got herself a role in ‘Farming,’ an autobiography that tells the story of a young Nigerian boy who is 'farmed out' by his parents to a white British family in the hope of a better future.

In 2013, Omotola made her debut with a cameo appearance in the first season of "Hit The Floor,” a VH1 popular drama series.

The actress played Akon‘s date in just one scene in the fifth episode of the drama series which was titled "Keep Away."