The Woman King shows us a powerful and fierce Davis ready to play the warrior “Nanisca”
In celebration of Black History Month, the Academy Award Winner Viola Davis shared the first pictures of her role as “Nanisca”, the great warrior of The Woman King. This project is the upcoming epic drama film from TriStar Pictures, directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood (Love & Basketball), and is based on the true events of The Kingdom of Dahomey, a story that hasn’t been told in-depth until now.
The Kingdom of Dahomey was an ancient African state distinguished by its army of female soldiers (Dahomey Amazons) and as a center of the slave trade in the 18th and 19th centuries. The story follows Nanisca (Davis), a powerful warrior who was the leader of a group of women who actively defended her people from French invasions and the violations of their rights. She fights alongside her daughter Mawi (Thuso Mbedu) a young warrior who was Nanisca’s right-hand partner.
Viola Davis has been recognized for being one of the most prominent actresses of our times. Over the years, she has starred in incredible roles that have earned her Emmy and Golden Globe Awards. As a matter of fact, in 2020 she received critical acclaim and her first Oscar for her performance as Ma Rainey, the mother of the blues in the production “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom”. She is not only the led actress for this film but one of the executive producers, alongside Maria Bello and Caty Schulman.
The actress gave the announcement through her Twitter account. She wrote: “I’m deeply honored and excited to bring this incredible story of these badass female warriors to life. Get ready for THE WOMAN KING, exclusively in movie theaters this fall.” followed by two exclusive pictures where we can appreciate the strength of her characterization and the style of the film adaptation.
The movie production was announced in March 2018, after the director acquired the rights of The Woman King. At first, actress Lupita Nyongo was considered for the cast, but she announced her departure from the project a few months after and was replaced by Thuso Mbedu. The filming began on September 2021 and it is currently in post-production.
With a screenplay created by Dana Stevens, the film will feature Lashana Lynch, John Boyega, Sheila Atim, and other stars. The film seeks to honor all the women fighters who defended entire villages, and we will be able to enjoy this production on September 16th of this year. Only on theaters.
