Coming off the acclaim she’s received for directing Netflix’s action pic The Old Guard, Gina Prince-Bythewood is now attached to direct Viola Davis in TriStar’s The Woman King. It was previously described as “the powerful true story of an extraordinary mother-daughter relationship.”
As we reported back in 2018, the film is inspired by true events in the Kingdom of Dahomey, a powerful state in the 18th century. It will tell the story of Nanisca (Davis), general of the all-female military unit known as the Amazons, and her daughter Nawi, who together fought the French and neighboring tribes who violated their honor, enslaved their people, and threatened to destroy everything they’ve lived for.
Lupita Nyong’o was originally attached for the Nawi role but is no longer set for the project.
The story is an original idea from Maria Bello and Cathy Schulman’s Welle Entertainment. Davis and her husband Julius Tennon, under their JuVee Productions will produce.
“We at JuVee are beyond excited to introduce this incredible story of the Women Warriors of The Dahomey Ahosi tribe to the world. It’s time that they truly occupy their place in history and in Gina Prince-Bythewood’s hands, it will be a gamechanger. This project could not be a more perfect example of our legacy,” said Davis and Tennon in a statement per Variety, which first broke this news.
Prince-Bythewood’s other works include Love & Basketball, Beyond the Lights, The Secret Life of Bees and more.
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