To say that multiple nominee and one-time Oscar winner Viola Davis is high in demand would be a gross understatement. With numerous accolades for television, theater, and film achievements, Davis is set to stun once again in her latest project The Woman King.
Striking posters and screenshots released earlier this year may not have really prepared expected audiences for what’s to come. Certainly, there were inklings but no true action visuals … until now. In the new trailer for The Woman King, Davis plays Nanisca, an African commander who led the Agojie, a real-life army of an elite and deadly all-female group of warriors. As shots of intruding white colonizers are seen entering the West African kingdom of Dahomey, a foreboding voiceover warns:
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Nanisca tries to convince King Ghezo (John Boyega) that the Europeans will stop at nothing to conquer Africa, but he is reluctant to create a war. A steely-eyed Nanisca warns him, “Some things are worth fighting for.”
“An evil is coming that threatens our kingdom, our freedom. But we have a weapon they are not prepared for.”
RELATED: Viola Davis Talks About Role as The Woman King
Viola Davis Reigns in The Woman King
TriStar Pictures
In an exclusive interview with Vanity Fair, the 56-year-old shared her thoughts and process of getting physically fit for the role.
In the film, Nanisca prepares her fighters for combat, despite the king’s doubts. Her army includes her right-hand woman played by Lashana Lynch and a new recruit named Nawi (Thuso Mbedu) whom Nanisca counsels, “To be a warrior, you must kill your tears.”
“I’ve never had a role like this before. It’s transformative. We started intensely a few months before shooting – four hours a day, five days a week. Weight training, sprinting, martial arts and weaponry training for the machete.”
The Woman King will premiere exclusively in theaters on September 16, 2022.
