The Woman King star, Viola Davis, recently explained how Black Panther helped the historical action epic get made. Set in 1823, Davis stars as General Nanisca, the capable warrior leader of the Agojie, a real-life all-woman legion of the West African Kingdom of Dahomey. Under the young King Ghezo (John Boyega), Nanisca commands her army against rival empires, such as the Oyo, as well as invading European forces. Originally based on a story developed by A History of Violence star Maria Bello, the film will also star Thuso Mbedu as the young recruit Nawi, Lashana Lynch as Lieutenant Izogie, Sheila Atim as Lieutenant Amenza, and Hero Fiennes Tiffin as Santo Ferreira.
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The legend of the Agojie, also known as the Dahomey Amazons, inspired the creation of Marvel Comics' Dora Milaje, the all-female royal guard tasked with protecting the Black Panther. The fictional warriors were fully realized for the big screen in 2018's Black Panther starring the late Chadwick Boseman in the titular role and The Walking Dead's Danai Gurira as the Dora Milaje leader, Okoye. The movie proved to be a massive success with it pulling in over $1.3 billion at the box office, making Black Panther the second highest-grossing film of the year (behind Avengers: Infinity War) and the ninth highest-grossing film of all-time when released.
In a recent interview with CBS Mornings, Davis explained how Black Panther helped The Woman King get produced. The Academy Award-winning actor claimed that The Woman King would not have been made "without Black Panther," insinuating that Hollywood has a history of neglecting Black audiences when considering the success of a movie. However, Davis implied that the incredible financial accomplishments of Black Panther had the industry rethink their strategies which contributed forward momentum of The Woman King production. Read what the actor said below.
"Absolutely. One hundred percent [wouldn't be possible] without Black Panther. They set the stage because [Hollywood] don't think that black women can lead a global box office in a major motion picture action historical drama. Because when has it ever been done?"
"And will white people go and see the movie? I always say that Thelma and Louise, Lara Croft Tomb Raider, Black Widow — they're not going to test those movies in front of a black audience. They're not going to do test screenings like, 'Oh! Black people don't like it so maybe we got to make Scarlett Johansson's hair crinkier (sic). You know, maybe we got to give her a little more swag so we can appeal to the Brooklyn, the Bronx, or whatever.'"
"Now we, on the other hand, we have to appeal to a white audience. And therein lies the whole dilemma, the whole fight."
Although Davis' comments may be tough to hear, she understands that Hollywood has repeatedly ignored people of color when testing certain films with predominantly white casts, while consistently discussing how a film featuring a mostly Black cast appeals to a white audience. Davis acknowledges Black Panther as a groundbreaking film that succeeded with more than just a Black audience, proving to a wary film industry that people of color can be bankable without specifically catering to race in a horrifically stereotypical way. The superhero movie's record-breaking release did more than just allow another action-epic to be greenlit, it reshaped the view of a stagnant industry, still suffering with its antiquated financial models and past cultural perceptions.
With The Woman King pulling in $1.7 million dollars from its Thursday evening previews and already garnering a 95% Fresh rating on the review aggregator website, Rotten Tomatoes, the Braveheart-style historical epic is ripe for a number one weekend at the box office. Davis and her ensemble cast aim to take what inspired the fictional Dora Milaje and tell the true story of the these powerful Agojie women, perhaps themselves inspiring future filmmakers to explore stories previously thought unmarketable due to a perceived lack of financial success based on an outdated way of thinking. Only time will tell if The Woman King will make a mark on Hollywood as Black Panther had before it.