First Look at ‘King Woman’: Viola Davis as an African general

July 5, 2022

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Gina Prince-Bythewood directs Sony’s upcoming film, which hits theaters on September 16.

Agoji’s real-life warrior women are now getting their due on the big screen.

“A woman is a king” stars Viola Davis as General Naniska, who led female warriors in the defense of the West African kingdom of Dahomey in present-day Benin during the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries. Lashana Lynch, John Boyega and Tuso Mbedu also star in the director’s film Gina Prince-Bythewood (“The Old Guard,” “Love and Basketball”) and written by Dana Stevens. The Woman King premieres in theaters on September 16.

“I’ve never had a role like this. It’s transformative,” said lead star and producer Davis Fair of vanity. “You always have a vision for your career, but there are very few roles for an actress of color. Dark skin with a broad nose and large lips. I’ll just keep saying it. These stories are extremely limited… It’s hard to be an artist, it’s hard to be a black artist, and it’s even harder to be a black artist.”

Davis addressed the lack of historical accounts of Agoji, saying, “There is one book, The Amazons of Black Sparta, written by a white man. I had to delete a lot of it because it was full of editorial comments like, “They looked like beasts.” They were ugly. They were courageous.” It was necessary to sift through all this.”

To transform into General Naniska for the “female Braveheart,” as the film is being touted via Vanity Fair, Davis underwent martial arts and weapons training, as well as weight training and sprinting four hours a day, five days a week.

“It was a different state of mind to take advantage of that spirit, that courage,” Davis shared.

Principal Prince Bythewood wanted to keep the authenticity of the story, adding, “These women were fascinating and didn’t need to be embellished or glossed over. I wanted it to be real, visceral and raw. We didn’t want to show them as one thing—disgusting women who killed. They laughed, loved and cried too. We wanted to show their full humanity, not just the cool part that would look good in a trailer.”

Check out the first look at the film below.