Sony just dropped the trailer of The Woman King and fans are already in awe of the spectacle! The all-women African army led by Viola Davis is surely going to leave you impressed in this historical drama.
Davis essays the role of General Nanisca, a real-life African Agojie general who, along with her women army, defends their kingdom Dahomey from white colonizers during the late 1800s and early 1900s. The film is being called the female version of Braveheart.
The Woman King Trailer
The trailer begins with the caption ‘Her Reign Begins Now’. We then see colonizers entering the kingdom of Dahomey as a voiceover says, “An evil is coming that threatens our kingdom, our freedom. But we have a weapon they are not prepared for.”
General Nanisca then appears with her army out of the darkness. She goes on to convince King Ghezo of a war against the Europeans. “I offer you a choice: fight or we die. We fight for our ancestors, we fight for the future,” says Nanisca.
The trailer shows some intense battle sequences and action scenes, which may remind people of Black Panther. At the time of writing, the trailer has garnered close to a million views already. Watch the trailer here.
Davis Was Trained in Martial Arts for the Role
The lead of the film, Viola Davis also acted as one of the producers. While talking about her role in the film said, “I’ve never had a role like this before. It’s transformative. And to be a producer on it, and to know that I had a hand in bringing it to fruition. There’s always a vision you have for your career, but there are very few roles as an actress of color.”
“Dark skin with a wide nose and big lips. I’m just going to continue to say it. Those stories are extraordinarily limited…It is hard to be an artist, hard to be a Black artist, and even harder to be a Black female artist,” she added.
Davis apparently worked hard to get into the physique of her character. She got trained in martial arts and the usage of weapons. She also gained weight and went sprinting for four hours a day.
About the Film
The Woman King has been directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood, known for directing Love & Basketball, The Old Guard and The Secret Life of Bees. She also co-wrote the film along with Dana Stevens who is known for her work in Fatherhood and City of Angels.
In an interview with Vanity Fair, Gina Gina Prince-Bythewood stated, “These women were fascinating and didn’t need to be embellished or glossy. We didn’t want to show them as just one thing — badass women who killed. We wanted to show their full humanity, not just the cool part that that would look good in a trailer.”
The Woman King was announced after the unprecedented success of Black Panther. The film got delayed multiple times due to the pandemic and is finally ready to release. If the project turns out to be a success, we might get to see more stories of Africa’s real-life heroes.
The film is slated to release in cinemas on September 16th.
Are you excited to watch the story of the African hero on big screens? Let us know in the comments section.
