SAG Awards nominee profile: ‘The Woman King’ would be 4th female-directed film to win stunt prize

Matthew Stewart
·3 min read
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Eight years into the existence of their Best Film Stunt Ensemble category, the Screen Actors Guild bestowed the award upon a female-directed movie for the first time. This historic moment involved Angelina Jolie’s “Unbroken” (2015) which has since been emulated by Patty Jenkins’ “Wonder Woman” (2018) and “Wonder Woman 1984” (2021). Now, following the losses of Cate Shortland’s “Black Widow” and Lana Wachowski’s “The Matrix Resurrections” last year, Gina Prince-Bythewood’s “The Woman King” has a strong shot at becoming the fourth addition to the list.

Set in 1820s West Africa, “The Woman King” tells the partially fact-based story of the Agojie, an all-female warrior group fiercely dedicated to defending the kingdom of Dahomey. The plot progresses through the perspectives of General Nanisca (Viola Davis), who has accumulated more than two decades of fighting experience, and new recruit Nawi (Thuso Mbedu), whose participation in this noble cause helps her unlock the secrets of her past. Also included in the cast are Lashana Lynch, Sheila Atim, Jimmy Odukoya, and John Boyega.

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SEE SAG Awards nominee profile: Viola Davis (‘The Woman King’) would set record with win

While most of this film’s stunt performers are relatively new to the profession, several of its action and fight coordinators have been honored by the Screen Actors Guild before. This includes Stuart Williamson, who contributed to the 2016 victory of “Mad Max: Fury Road,” and “Avengers: Endgame” (2020) alums Johnny Gao and Daniel Hernandez, the former of whom also shared in a 2019 win for “Black Panther.”

“The Woman King” stands as one of the seven female-directed films ever nominated in this category, with the only non-previously mentioned example being Niki Caro’s “Mulan” (2021). It is also the only completely original film in the current stunt ensemble lineup, with three of its challengers being the sequels “Avatar: The Way of Water” (following 2009’s “Avatar”), “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” (2018’s “Black Panther,” which won this award), and “Top Gun: Maverick” (1986’s “Top Gun”). The final slot belongs to “The Batman,” which is a new take on the titular character previously featured in such films as 2009 stunt ensemble winner “The Dark Knight.”

The films that have prevailed in this category most recently are “No Time to Die” (2022), “Wonder Woman 1984” (2021), “Avengers: Endgame” (2020), and “Black Panther” (2019).

This article is a part of Gold Derby’s “SAG Awards nominee profile” series spotlighting the 2023 contenders in film and TV.

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