Rachel Portman is commissioned to write the score for the new television series “King Shaka”, to be produced for Showtime. The series tells the story of the Zulu Empire founder Shaka and his unlikely rise to power, uniting multiple tribes across vast stretches of southern Africa in the early 19th century to transform his power into legend.

Rachel commented “I am really looking forward to that, because I will be working in a musical language that’s completely new to me: Zulu music. My intention is to celebrate and to collaborate”.

The TV series is executive produced by Antoine Fuqua, and stars Charles Babalola as King Shaka, as well as Aïssa Maïga and Thando Dlomo. It is scheduled to premiere by the end of 2023 on Showtime, the American premium television network.