Viola Davis has announced today that she will star in The Woman King, an upcoming historical drama by Sony Pictures. Davis has previously appeared as Amanda Waller in Suicide Squad (2016), The Suicide Squad (2021), and Peacemaker (2022). Still, a newly released trailer for The Woman King shows her in a role unlike any she’s held before.
Viola Davis and Gina Prince-Bythewood on the Weight Behind ‘The Woman King’
According to Variety, the real-life story of the Agojie was the inspiration behind the Dora Milaje, the all-female military unit in Black Panther. Still, the actual story of the Agojie has never been told on-screen until now. Davis has reported that to prepare for her role in The Woman King, she – and many of her co-stars – have had to undergo rigorous physical training, including weightlifting, martial arts, and weapons training with a machete, like the ones used in the new trailer.
Regarding her new role in The Woman King, Viola Davis spoke to Vanity Fair:
Davis and The Woman King director Gina Prince-Bythewood (The Old Guard) also revealed the amount of responsibility the movie carries, based on real-life events and centering around ideas of Black freedom, which are still relevant today. Prince-Bythewood told Vanity Fair that she “takes that responsibility very seriously” and wants to tell a story about “women who killed… [but] also laughed and loved and cried.”
The first trailer for The Woman King is available below.
The Woman King, directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood and produced by Viola Davis, Cathy Schulman, Julius Tennon, and Maria Bello, is slated to be released in theaters on September 16th, 2022.
