Gina Prince-Bythewood didn’t read very far into the “The Woman King” script before she decided she wanted to helm the historical epic about a real West African army of female warriors.
According to Prince-Bythewood, “I knew it was going to be my next film literally five pages into it. “I felt incredibly close to these women. I was ecstatic. I immediately wanted to shoot them as soon as they appeared out of the grass.”
The Woman King is a powerful action-drama that puts female power front and center at a time when women’s rights are in danger. It is based on the actual history of the Agojie, female warriors who protected the West African kingdom of Dahomey (current-day Benin) from the 1600s until the late 19th century.
Women are feeling completely attacked at the moment, both in our country and around the world. A recent interview with Prince-Bythewood revealed that the situation sometimes makes it seem as though we have no control over it. “We can look up at the screen and see the warrior in this woman, and we can believe that each of us also possesses this innate capacity to be a warrior and to stand up and fight.
Prince-Bythewood continued, “I want women to be able to tap into their fight because that’s what we’re going to need at this moment.
A standout in the upcoming fall film season is “The Woman King,” which will have its world premiere at the Toronto Film Festival in early September before Sony Pictures releases it in theaters. With Thuso Mbedu, Lashana Lynch (“No Time to Die”), and Sheila Atim co-starring as fellow soldiers, Davis plays the role of an African warrior named Nanisca. The slave trade is a scourge against which the Dahomey king (John Boyega) mulls a response as the plot of the movie develops. However, Davis’ imposing presence and the Agojie’s strength and cunning are what propel the action.
“The Woman King” serves as a kind of mission statement for Prince-Bythewood and serves as the pinnacle of her 30-year career. Prince-Bythewood, a high school basketball player and University of California, Los Angeles track runner, brought his athletic perspective to filmmaking. He made his breakthrough with the 2000 movie “Love & Basketball,” starring Sanaa Lathan and Omar Epps.
“Love & Basketball” has improved over time (the line “Double or nothing?” is still one of the most romantic in the film). And in 2020, “The Old Guard” introduced Prince-Bythewood to an even larger audience. One of the most popular movies on Netflix with Charlize Theron is the superhero movie. (Prince-Bythewood is currently working on the sequel.)
The first movie I made for streaming was “The Old Guard,” she claims. “Given how much I adore theater, I wasn’t sure how it would feel. Being able to instantly reach a global audience is amazing. However, Sony has also planned a worldwide release for this.”
Furthermore, “The Woman King” represents the film industry to her as a metaphor because few such stories or protagonists have been adapted for the big screen. In the movie, women led most of the departments. The script was written by Dana Stevens. Producers include Maria Bello and Cathy Shulman. It was shot by Polly Morgan. It was edited by Terilyn A. Shropshire.
According to Prince-Bythewood, “There are great people out there who are not getting opportunities, so I look past the resume.” “Someone did that for me at some point. Mike DeLuca for “Love & Basketball,” without a doubt. Therefore, it’s exciting to have that kind of energy when people leave a production meeting and turn to look at the crowd, which is dominated by women. They were all warriors in my opinion in the struggle to get this movie made.”
