Tope Oshin’s upcoming movie Up North is slated for release next month, and its press roll out has just given us a trailer and film poster that shows lead actor Banky W in NYSC gear.

We already know the movie was shot in Bauchi and makes commentary on the mandated youth service while exploring themes of friendship, love and family politics.

But Nigerians on the internet are saying that Banky W shouldn’t have been cast to play the role, considering that there are much younger actors that could have played a youth corper.

#upnorth# the movie. So they casted Banky W as a youth Corper. They couldn’t, in all the industry find a younger actor? ?‍♀️

— KleopahtraKommyOfem (@cleokommy) November 3, 2018

So is Up North a coming of age movie about a young mans growth during NYSC or a movie about a senior citizens that want to do NYSC…

Cos casting Banky W as a corper has to be a strain in the script

— Derik (@IR_Derik) November 5, 2018

The last movie Banky W starred in was 2017’s The Wedding Party 2, his Nollywood debut, a star-driven project from EbonyLife Films that went ahead to reach “stratospheric” success in the context of box office numbers.

Star-driven movies, and even movies that enlist an A-list actor is arguably important for optics and marketing. People are more inclined to see a movie that has a familiar face, and this is becoming a repetitive formula for filmmakers in Nigeria.

But the defence for Banky playing a young character in the movie loses ground in the area of visual effects and make up, where actors can be made to look younger (or even older) as it is done in Hollywood. Benjamin Button, anyone?

Look at the film poster for Up North closely and you would see that Banky still looks very much like himself.

Our movie industry hasn’t evolved to point of believable, advanced CGI and visual enhancements, so the internet is right.

Out December 28, Up North also stars Adesua Etomi Wellington to give the movie some extra star boost, Kanayo O. Kanayo, TBoss, Michelle Dede. Akin Lewis, Rahama Sadau and Ibrahim Onimisi Suleiman.