Viola Davis leads the real-life Dora Milaje to fight colonial invaders in thrilling The Woman King trailer
Viola Davis has assembled her own army.
The Oscar winner debuts as General Nanisca in the first trailer for The Woman King, which shows the ferocious warrior recruiting the next generation for the all-female African strike force known as the Agojie.
The film's first footage warns, "An evil is coming that threatens our kingdom, our freedom." That evil is white European colonialism, which has come to the shores of Africa in the 1800s to enslave the Dahomey Kingdom.
"But we have a weapon they are not prepared for," the story continues. That weapon is the Agojie.
The Beyoncé track "My Power" pumps up the action as we see General Nanisca training the new members of the Agojie and laying out the stakes.
Ilze Kitshoff/TriStar Pictures Viola Davis wages war against European colonialism in 'The Woman King.'
"You are called to join the King's Guard," she tells the recruits. "No kingdom in all of Africa shares this privilege. Train hard, fight harder. We fear no one, and we fear no pain. I offer you a choice: fight or we die."
It's this same historical African female soldier that helped inspire the Dora Milaje in Marvel's Black Panther — and, surprise, there are a few familiar Marvel faces in The Woman King. Lashana Lynch (Captain Marvel) and Sheila Atim (Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness) portray two of the Agojie alongside Thuso Mbedu (The Underground Railroad). John Boyega (Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker) and Hero Fiennes Tiffin (After) also star.
Black Panther star Lupita Nyong'o was also originally set to star in the film, but has since dropped out.
Gina Prince-Bythewood, who made Netflix's 2020 action hit The Old Guard, is leading the elite cast as director. She wrote the screenplay with Dana Stevens.
The Woman King will premiere in theaters Sept. 16. Watch the trailer above.
Want more movie news? Sign up for Entertainment Weekly's free newsletter to get the latest trailers, celebrity interviews, film reviews, and more.
Related content:
