Lupita Nyong’o and Viola Davis to star in The Woman King

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

The Dora Milaje are the all-female special forces of Wakanda in BLACK PANTHER, but they share many similarities with the Dahomey Amazons, an all-female military regiment of the Kingdom of Dahomey which lasted until the late 19th century. TriStar Pictures have acquired the worldwide rights to THE WOMAN KING, an upcoming drama which will be inspired by the true events of the Dahomey Amazons and star Lupita Nyong'o (BLACK PANTHER) and Viola Davis (FENCES).

Based upon an original story by Maria Bello (PRISONERS), the project will follow Nanisca (Davis), the general of the all-female military unit known as the Amazons, and her daughter Nawi (Nyong’o), who together fought the French and neighboring tribes who violated their honor, enslaved their people, and threatened to destroy everything they’ve lived for. "'The Woman King; is the powerful true story of an extraordinary mother-daughter relationship," said Hannah Minghella, president of TriStar Pictures. "And there’s no-one more extraordinary than Viola Davis and Lupita Nyong’o to bring them to life." Julius Tennon of JuVee Productions added that the film "has the potential to be a game changer for women of color everywhere. Viola and our team at JuVee are beyond excited to partner with Sony/TriStar to bring these fierce women to the big screen." Welle Entertainment's Cathy Schulman praised BLACK PANTHER for showing audiences "how the power of imagination and lore could reveal a world without gender and racial stereotypes. 'The Woman King' will tell one of history’s greatest forgotten stories from the real world in which we live, where an army of African warrior women staved off slavery, colonialism and inter-tribal warfare to unify a nation." It certainly sounds like an exciting project, especially with Viola Davis and Lupita Nyong'o taking the lead.

Lupita Nyong'o can currently be seen in BLACK PANTHER, in which she plays Nakia, T'Challa's (Chadwick Boseman) former lover and Wakandan spy, and Viola Davis will be taking the lead in Steve McQueen's WIDOWS, a heist-thriller which finds the widows of four armed robbers banding together to finish the job which killed them. WIDOWS will hit theaters on November 16, 2018.