written by Anthony D'Alessandro, Deadline
The Woman King will be making its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival.
Director Gina Prince-Bythewood’s epic, starring and produced by Oscar winner Viola Davis, opens theatrically September 16 in U.S. and Canada.
The Woman King tells the story of the Agojie, the all-female unit of warriors who protected the African Kingdom of Dahomey in the 1800s with skills and a fierceness unlike anything the world has ever seen. Inspired by true events, Davis plays General Nanisca as she trains the next generation of recruits and readies them for battle against an enemy determined to destroy their way of life. Some things are worth fighting for.
Thuso Mbedu, Lashana Lynch, Sheila Atim, Hero Fiennes Tiffin and John Boyega also star in the pic from TriStar Pictures and eOne.
Bythewood directed The Woman King from a story by Maria Bello and Dana Stevens and the screenplay by Stevens. In addition to Davis and Julius Tennon, The Woman King is produced by Oscar-winning Crash producer Cathy Schulman. Bello and Peter McAleese serve as EPs. Sony first showed off the trailer to The Woman King at CinemaCon. The film is edited by Terilyn A. Shropshire, ACE.
TIFF has yet to unveil its full festival lineup for the 47th edition, which runs September 8-18. The Woman King is the fifth world premiere to be announced for Toronto after Netflix’s Rian Johnson sequel Glass Onion: A Knives Out Story, Clement Virgo’s Brother, the Paramount Players/Paramount+ movie On the Come Up from Emmy nominee Sanaa Lathan and Universal’s Billy Eichner gay romantic comedy Bros.
