MOVIES: ‘Love, Lust and Other Things’ was originally titled ‘Once Upon A Time In Abuja’
‘Love, Lust and Other Things’ was originally titled ‘Once Upon A Time In Abuja’
Interviews with filmmakers have shown that landing the right title for a movie is one of the most stressful parts of the project.
After making a great movie, filmmakers are faced with the difficult task of coming up with the perfect name that suits the project and appeals to the audience.
During this stressful process, a lot of hilarious names get thrown around. For instance, did you know Hollywood’s iconic Pretty Woman almost went by 3,000, and the Titanic was initially called Planet Ice?
Here in Nollywood, we discovered that Netflix’s hit movie Shanty Town was initially named Shark Town while Under Lagos and Once Upon A Time in Isale Eko were options for the title of Jade Osiberu’s hit movie Gangs of Lagos.
Our recent interview with director Kayode Kasum revealed some tidbits about his new project, Love, Lust, and Other Things, including the original name of the current box office hit.
We found out that the steamy romance was initially titled Once Upon A Time In Abuja. Thankfully, things changed.
In Kasum’s words, “So, I always tell people to embrace change when it comes to making art. The original title for this film was Once Upon A Time In Abuja. It didn’t work. As we watched the first cut of the film, we realised that the movie is not about Abuja. It’s about this woman finding love, and she had three options, so it made sense to call it Love, Lust, and Other Things.”
Not only is the current title a great one, but it also goes well with the director’s style of choosing long titles.
“Most of my films always have long names, by the way. I have This Lady Called Life, Far From Home, House of Money, and now, Love, Lust and Other Things,” Kasum noted.
Written by Comfort Booth, the movie follows a recently divorced middle-aged woman who goes on a journey to find herself and what she wants between love, sex, and money.
Produced by Chris Odeh for MSwitch Productions in collaboration with Sozo Films, the project is led by Osas Ighodaro. Ramsey Noauh takes on the role of one of her love interests, Khalid, a 56-year-old business tycoon ready to sweep her off her feet.
The cast includes Wale Ojo, Kunle Remi, Real Warri Pikin, Yakub Mohammed, Efe Irele, and Gloria Young.
Since its release, Love, Lust, and Other Things has been making a killing at the box office, opening with ₦10 million and earning a total of ₦21 million in two weeks.
Watch the trailer: