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The Woman King is the name of the new historical epic from TriStar Pictures starring Viola Davis that will hit theaters across the country next month. The Woman King is a 2022 epic movie directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood. Starring Viola Davis, Thuso Mbedu, Lashana Lynch, Sheila Atim, Hero Fiennes Tiffin, John Boyega, and Adrienne Warren.
The Woman King directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood, the production follows the remarkable story of Agojie, an all-female unit of warriors who protected the African kingdom of Dahomey in the 19th century with skills never before seen in the world.
Inspired by true events, it follows the exciting journey of General Nanisca (Davis) as she trains the next generation of recruits and prepares them for battle against an enemy determined to destroy her way of life.
In addition to David, the film stars Lashana Lynch, John Boyega, Adrienne Warren, Sheila Atim, Jayme Lawson, and Hero Fiennes Tiffin.
The Woman King will be released in Chilean theaters on September 29, 2022.
Viola Davis has worked very hard to look better than ever in The Woman King, the feature film directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood, which opens in theaters on October 14. There's a certain obsession in the mainstream these days for artists to look great physically.
This aspect has always been taken care of within celluloid and television fiction, but now there is a fixation for the extreme muscularity of the protagonists. You just have to see any superhero product to realize it, or any action film. For The Woman King, Davis also went through a tough training process to play General Nanisca.
Extremely tough workouts are becoming more and more common in the great blockbusters
From People, it has now been revealed that Davis spent nine months of hard training to be able to adapt to the physical characteristics that were stipulated for the feature film. The training was very hard with generous doses of high intensity weightlifting and strength training, accompanied by impeccable nutrition.
Gabriela Mclain, trainer of the artists of the work, explained that each actor and actress had received a unique training: "There is not a plan that works for everyone. Everyone needs to train in a different way." The protagonist also carried out all kinds of activities, "everything, from fencing, spears, machetes. Many punches." The actress actually admits that she "feels very tough."
Davis's training, however, was as natural as possible so that her appearance would fit the time frame of the film. "My goal was to make it more or less natural, what the woman would look like if they were going to fight because it's based on true stories."
That is to say, that in no case did she seek to deform the protagonists' bodies too much so that they seemed to come directly from bodybuilding factories. Viola Davis is joined by John Boyega, Lashana Lynch, Hero Fiennes-Tiffin, Thuso Mbedu, Jayme Lawson and Adrienne Warren in the cast, who have also undergone significant training for the film.
Based on the female Agoji warriors who protected the kingdom of Dahomey in West Africa during the 18th and 19th centuries, The Woman King will focus on General Nanisca (Viola Davis) who leads one of the most powerful military regimes in the entire world.
In preparing for the character, both Viola Davis and her co-stars Thuso Mbedu, Lashana Lynch, Sheila Atim, and Adrienne Warren underwent intense training, ranging from athletics to weightlifting to high-performance exercises. in order to transform into the muscular female fighters of the Agoji army.
But what makes this workout different? And why might it change the way Hollywood grooms its actors?
A training with a racial focus
To define the training, the cast resorted to DNA tests, through which the trainer and nutritionist Gabriela Mclain would seek to boost her natural abilities and solidify their respective strengths with an exclusive program.
"The DNA test helped us discover the best way to train for each one, and the best way to also protect their muscles and their bodies, because they are all different," explained the specialist, adding that there is no one plan that fits all people, because due to the diversity of bodies and ethnic roots "we all need to train in different ways".
Until a few years ago, the standard for training in the film industry was focused on defined plans for only two types of people: Caucasian men and women, between 175 and 190 cm tall. So the use of genetic research to stop subjecting actors to programs that are not designed for them marks an important milestone in both sports and entertainment.
On the diversity of bodies and the search for a Eurocentric standard, Viola Davis also shared her experience.
Davis added that, although there are times when she finishes filming a project, it passes without much impact on her life, The Woman King training is something that has made her improve for the better.
On the other hand, Mclain affirms that the objective of the training, in effect, was not to reach a profile previously defined by the industry, but "to make everything much more natural, just as these women would look if they were in battle, because it is based on stories. real.”
Training is not the only way in which cinema is beginning to change the way it works with actors of different ethnicities. Well, in films like Beast, the stylist Peaches Johnson, whose specialty is working with the hair of people of African descent, was close to the production to define the style of its young protagonists.
Similarly, in the development stages of projects like Prey, the creative team received support and advice from the indigenous Comanche community, in order to achieve a respectful representation of the tribe on screen.
Likewise, in an exclusive interview for Fuera de Foco, Mexican actor Tenoch Huerta addressed the way in which Marvel also seeks to document itself through experts and people native to the cultures they seek to show in their films, as will happen with Black Panther: Wakanda. Forever.
The Woman King will premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival, where it will be presented by director Gina Prince-Bythewood, Viola Davis and actors John Boyega and Hero Fiennes Tiffin, who are also starring in the film.
The Woman King is the upcoming action drama directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood, who also co-wrote the screenplay with Dana Stevens based on a story by Maria Bello (A History of Violence). Starring Academy Award winner Viola Davis in a role we have never seen her before, this film is based on the epic true story of the Amazons of Dahomey and their struggle for survival.
The film was introduced by Bello to Davis in front of a live audience in 2015 during the Women Making History Awards ceremony at the National Museum of Women's History in Los Angeles. Now, Maria Bello and Viola Davis are co-producers on the finished product.
Distributed by Sony Pictures Releasing, The Woman King will be released exclusively in theaters on September 16, 2022, which means it won't be available to stream for at least a few months afterward. The digital release date has yet to be confirmed.
Released on July 6, 2022, the trailer gives us an insight into the extreme brutality that threatens Dahomey, as well as the training methods of the Amazons of Dahomey. You can see the trailer below.
Because this is a historical epic based on true events, a bit of context is necessary to better understand the depth behind the plot of The Woman King.
Set in the late 19th century, in the West African Kingdom of Dahomey, a fierce all-female military regiment known as the Agojie has to fight for the life and freedom of their kingdom when faced with external aggressors. Historians gave these women the name "Amazons of Dahomey" because of their similarity to the Amazons of mythology. Due to the high mortality rate of men within the Kingdom, due to constant wars with other West African states and the slave trade, women were drafted into the military and eventually took over completely.
General Nanisca (Davis) faces a threat to the Kingdom of Dahomey when European forces begin invading it. The epic war she wages against them is based on the Franco-Dahomeyan War, which took place between 1890 and 1894. Nanisca also focuses on an ambitious new recruit, Nawi, played by Thuso Mbedu. In an interview in 1978, Nawi claimed to have fought against the French in 1982. He later died in 1979, aged over 100.
The Amazons of Dahomey, or "Agojie," have had many other pop culture references before appearing in The Woman King, most recently in the 2018 Marvel Cinematic Universe film Black Panther. The "Dora Milaje," a regiment of guards and bodyguards composed exclusively of women, is based directly on the Dahomey Amazons.
Lupita Nyong'o, who in Black Panther played Nakia, a former lover of the late Chadwick Boseman's character T'Challa, was able to interview some descendants of the Dahomey Amazons in 2019, after she was intrigued by their influence on the creation of the Dora Milaje for Marvel Comics and movies.
Director Gina Prince-Bythewood is well into the industry, having directed many episodes on shows like Everybody Hates Chris, Girlfriends, Cloak and Dagger, and Shots Fired. She has also directed the films Beyond the Lights and Love and Basketball.
Producer and writer Maria Bello is a well-known actress and humanitarian, starring in numerous films including Coyote Ugly, Lights Out, Beautiful Boy, and Grown Ups and Grown Ups 2. Her humanitarian work includes founding "We Advance," an organization that encourages Haitian women to helping to make health care a priority and ending domestic violence within their communities, as well as being a board member of the Darfur Women's Action Group.
Of course, Viola Davis will star in the title role of General Nanisca, leading her army in the battle to defend Dahomey, and Thuso Mbedu will play her young prodigy, based on Nawi's real life. Lashana Lynch, known for her role as Carol Danvers' best friend Maria Rambeau in Captain Marvel, will play Nanisca's lieutenant in a character yet to be named. She can be seen throughout the trailer, specifically in a scene featuring a battle of strength, endurance, and determination during the Dahomey warriors' training.
John Boyega, who made his leading theatrical debut in the Star Wars Universe as Finn in Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens, will play King Ghezo, ruler of Dahomey. His character looks to and trusts General Nanisca for guidance. King Ghezo is also based on his real-life counterpart of the same name, who is said to be responsible for the cultural shift from tradition and ceremony to a militarized state, effectively creating the Agojie.
The main antagonist, Santo Ferreira, will be played by Hero Fiennes Tiffin, who played the younger version of Lord Voldemort/Tom Riddle in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. Additionally, Sheila Atim will play Amenza, who is also seen alongside General Nanisca throughout the trailer as another high-ranking lieutenant.
Viola Davis stars in The Woman King, a Gina Prince-Bythewood film inspired by real historical events. The story follows General Nanisca, the leader of the Dahomey Amazons. This group of fierce women inspired, in fact, the fictional Dora Milaje of Wakanda within the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Sony Pictures released the official trailer that reveals the Oscar winner in a promising role.
According to the official synopsis, “it is the remarkable story of Agojie, the all-female unit of warriors who protected the African kingdom of Dahomey in the 19th century with skill and ferocity the world had never seen before. Inspired by true events, The Woman King follows the emotionally epic journey of General Nanisca as she trains the next generation of recruits and prepares them for battle against an enemy determined to destroy her way of life. There are things worth fighting for."
The period film is set between the 18th and 19th centuries in Africa, and will mainly delve into the conflict between the warriors and the European invaders who threatened to conquer her kingdom. To protect the honor and future of their people, they will fight in an armed confrontation against the enslaving settlers. They will not let go so easily of everything they have worked for to build their own nation.
In addition to Viola Davis in the leading role, the cast includes Lashana Lynch, John Boyega, Adrienne Warren, Sheila Atim, Thuso Mbedu, Jayme Lawson, Hero Fiennes Tiffin, Masali Baduza, Angélique Kidjo, Jimmy Odukoya, among others. The direction fell to Gina Prince-Bythewood, the filmmaker behind The Old Guard, the successful Netflix superhero film with Charlize Theron.
The development of La mujer rey began in a very unexpected way in 2015. It was during the Women Making History Awards event that producer Maria Bello suddenly launched this idea when presenting an award addressed to Davis. Bello later teamed up with Cathy Schulman, and they recruited screenwriter Dana Stevens and other Prince-Bythewood collaborators to write the film.
In March 2018, the How to Get Away with Murder actress was officially announced as the lead. Training for the role began a few months before filming and included sports activities such as weight-bearing, running, martial arts, and weapon fighting. Filming began in November last year in South Africa.
Based on true events, this action movie tells us about the "Dahomey", an ancient African state with women warriors in the 18th century and who fought for their freedom.
Because there is no audiovisual project made by this Lady Actress -yes, with capital letters- the only winner of the triple crown of acting -Tony (theater), Emy and SAGs (series) and Oscars (cinema)- that we can miss; and that her new job choice only confirms it for us. In “La Mujer Rey” (The Woman King) Viola Davis puts herself on the charge for her people and her survival as General Nanisca. Viola is also the producer of this film that shows us the epic war they waged and is based on the Franco-Dahomeyan one, which took place between 1890 and 1894.
Set in the late 19th century in the Kingdom of Dahomey, West Africa, a fierce all-female military regiment known as “Agojie”, has to fight for the life and freedom of their kingdom when faced with external aggressors.
