In a new shot from filmmaker Gina Prince-upcoming Bythewood’s historical thriller The Woman King, Viola Davis is ready for fight.
In a new shot from the upcoming historical epic The Woman King, Viola Davis appears completely prepared and ready for a terrible battle. Nanisca, a commander of the Dahomey Amazons or Mino, an all-female regiment in the Kingdom of Dahomey in West Africa, is played by the critically renowned actress.
The highly anticipated Sony picture is based on a story created by Dana Stevens and Gina Prince-Bythewood and inspired by actress Maria Bello. The drama is also based on true events that occurred during the Kingdom of Dahomey, a kingdom that ruled in what is now Benin during the 18th and 19th centuries. The Woman King follows Nanisca and her young recruit Nawi, who is played by Thuso Mbedu from The Underground Railroad. The two must preserve their precious country and battle against any and all perceived foes of The Kingdom of Dahomey throughout the film.
The film also stars Lashana Lynch, John Boyega, Sheila Atim, and Hero Fiennes Tiffin, and is directed by Prince-Bythewod. At Cinemacon, Prince-Bythewood premiered the official movie trailer for the film for the first time, to a raucous and enthusiastic audience.
During the Sony presentation, the director lauded Davis’ performance, saying, “She is everything we think her to be, and she kicks ass in this film.” Davis has also been a major advocate and proponent for The Woman King as a producer, according to Cinemacon. She fought long and hard, much like her character Nanisca, to get this film made and for these women’s stories to finally get the attention they deserved. Davis as Nanisca, dressed in full armour and ready to lead her noble men into combat, was recently featured in a new photograph released by Empire.
Lynch and Atim are like steady candelabra flames by Davis’ side, channelling the sisterhood alliance. Lynch and Atim are also both equipped with melee weapons and are ready to slay anyone who stands in their way without hesitation. “We were conscious of producing an ensemble of the dopest actors of this moment from all over the diaspora,” Prince-Bythewood said of her idea for The Woman King picture. The Dahomey Amazon Warriors were supposedly formed in response to a severe lack of men in the tribe as a result of a neighbouring nation enslaving Dahomey men.
The Amazon unit had a population of roughly six thousand people at its peak. The all-female Dora Milaje royal guard in Black Panther is said to be based on the Dahomey Warriors. They did, however, appear in an episode of Lovecraft Country, in which Hippolyta travelled back in time to fight alongside her fellow warriors.