The Woman King Director Gina Prince-Bythewood Talks Black Panther’s Influence on Film

With The Woman King now playing in theaters, I recently got to speak with director Gina Prince-Bythewood’s (The Old Guard, Love & Basketball) about making the movie inspired by true events. During the interview, Bythewood talked about how the success of Ryan Coogler’s Black Panther opened the door for The Woman King to be made, what she learned making The Old Guard that helped her on this film, the challenge of filming the action scenes, and the editing process. The Woman King tells the story of the all-female unit of warriors who protected the African Kingdom of Dahomey which was one of the most powerful states in the continent of Africa during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. The film follows Nanisca (Viola Davis) as she trains the next generation of recruits and readies them for battle against an enemy determined to destroy their way of life. Also starring in the film are Lashana Lynch, John Boyega, Thuso Mbedu, Sheila Atim, Adrienne Warren, Jayme Lawson, and Hero Fiennes-Tiffin.