The global wave of Black love narratives is rising again, and this time, it’s being steered by the unmistakable brilliance of Nigerian storyteller Bolu Babalola. Her breakout hit Honey & Spice, a novel that ignited BookTok, bestseller charts, and a new generation of romantic fiction lovers, is officially heading to the big screen.
Working Title — the powerhouse studio behind modern romance classics like Notting Hill and Bridget Jones’s Diary — has acquired the film rights and tapped Babalola herself to write the screenplay. The move underscores not just confidence in the story but an industry-wide recognition of Babalola’s sharp wit, layered characters, and cinematic writing style.
For Babalola, the news is a deeply personal full-circle moment
“As my debut novel, Kiki and Malakai’s story is so close to my heart,” she said, “and I can’t wait to adapt their trials and tribulations in love for cinema audiences with the master of romantic films: Working Title.”
Published in the summer of 2022, Honey & Spice won the inaugural TikTok Book of the Year Award and quickly carved out a cultural footprint. The story follows Kiki Banjo — a sharp-tongued, hyper-observant British-Nigerian student and host of a campus radio show that warns girls about men who will waste their time — who accidentally falls into a fake relationship with Malakai Korede, the very kind of man she tries to protect others from. Fake sparks turn real, defenses crumble, and the novel blooms into a celebration of vulnerability, Black joy, and romantic softness.
Now, Hollywood wants that magic
With Babalola penning the screenplay, fans can expect the same vibrant banter, unapologetic cultural grounding, and textured exploration of the Black diaspora that made the book a phenomenon. Working Title’s involvement also signals a return to the era of sweeping, emotionally rich rom-coms — but this time with Black leads who take up the center of the screen, not the margins.
The adaptation announcement arrives only months after Babalola released Sweet Heat, the much-anticipated sequel to Honey & Spice, further solidifying her place as a leading voice in contemporary romance.
For Nigerian and British readers who saw themselves — their slang, their swagger, their family chaos, their tenderness — woven into Kiki and Malakai’s story, this adaptation is more than a film deal. It is cultural affirmation, global recognition, and a new chapter for diasporic storytelling.
Babalola lit the page on fire. Now she’s ready to light up the screen.
