“King of Boys” 3: What More Can Kemi Adetiba Offer?

The King of Boys (KOB) franchise will return in December this year for its third installment, King of Boys: The Beginning of the End. A social media post from the award-winning filmmaker Kemi Adetiba, revealed a video call with Sola Sobowale, the lead actress of the series, teasing a reunion. KOB was first released in 2018 as a feature film, unveiling powerful characters like Eniola Salami (Sola Sobowale), Makanaki (Reminisce), Odogwu Malay (Illbliss) and Aare Akinwande (Akin Lewis). The second installment, themed The Return of the King, is expanded as a political thriller series and welcomes additional power-thirsty folks like Odudubariba (Charly Boy) and First Lady Jumoke Randle (Nse Ikpe-Etim). The series, which debuted in 2021, also offers Ade Tiger (Titi Kuti) prominence as a loyalist of Eniola’s camp. It ends with Eniola winning the gubernatorial elections, Jumoke Randle getting chased out of the government house and Makanaki getting authorized by Eniola to head the table.

It is true that official plot details for KOB 3 remain unknown. However, while we keep our fingers crossed, we can speculate about expectations in the anticipated show.

More Power Dynamics 

Power is the engine of the KOB franchise. It is constantly changing and used as a tool to breed enmity between different characters. As the characters explore their personal ambitions and seek to possess a new level of power, there are no permanent allegiances. For instance, in the film, friction ensues when Eniola feels betrayed and neglected by her political godfather Aare. Makanaki, who initially wants to destroy Eniola, becomes an ally in a late twist as he gets her blessings to become the king of the table. Eniola also relinquishes much of her relevance in the country when she leaves, but then she returns to claim the highest authority in a state. More of these power dynamics is likely to evolve in the latest installment.

New Political Enemies and A Haunting Past

As Eniola assumes the position of governorship, we expect her to be haunted by her past. We should see her acquire new political enemies, including a major rival that will stir most of the episodes in the series. We also expect to see her enemies use hard evidence of her dubious past to try and force her out of office. This is also not to overlook the possible resurgence of a more vengeful Jumoke Randle.

Backstory for Eniola and Makanaki Alliance 

One of the unexpected moments of KOB 2 is the abrupt reconciliation between Eniola and Makanaki, which is immediately followed by the former endorsing the latter as her successor after eliminating the treacherous members of the table. KOB 3 provides a room to properly explore this twist, and this cannot be better achieved than with the use of flashback. If at all, Adetiba owes fans of the series a proper contextualization of the relationship between Eniola and Makanaki.

The Decline of an Empire? 

KOB 3 is themed The Beginning of the End. But whose end? Is it the end of Eniola Salami and her numerous schemes? Will this be the realest, inevitable annihilation of the political stalwart and her legacy? Already, Eniola Salami stands for many things, one of which is matriarchal authority. She is a symbol of how much can be achieved as a female in a male-dominated world. However, the title of the forthcoming installment suggests we might just be witnessing the penultimate showpiece that precedes a final season where Eniola reaps the rewards of her sordid past and loses all the powers at her disposal.