How to Watch ‘The Woman King': Is Viola Davis’ Historical Epic Streaming?

“The Woman King” has stormed into theaters. The 1800s West Africa-set story was directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood (“The Old Guard”), with a story by Maria Bello and script by Dana Stevens. Star and producer Viola Davis and Prince-Bythewood have discussed in several interviews the long journey it took to get this story on the big screen.

Davis leads an incredible cast of actors, which we will detail below. Costume designer Gersha Phillips outfitted the fierce female warriors as well as their male counterparts and the other characters in the film. The action-packed film sees Davis take on some of the intense stunts and choreography by Daniel Hernandez (“Avengers: Endgame,” “Creed II,” “Venom”), alongside many other women warriors who are not afraid to get their hand dirty.

Fans of Viola Davis and other names mentioned below may be wondering how and when to watch “The Woman King,” and we’ve rounded up all the details.

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When Does “The Woman King” Come Out?

“The Woman King” was released in theaters on Sept. 16.

Will “The Woman King” Be Streaming?

So far, “The Woman King” is only available to watch in theaters, but with Sony as its distributor, the film is expected to be streaming on Netflix at some point in the future since Sony has a deal with Netflix. If we look at how long it took other 2022 Sony films to hit Netflix, “Uncharted” took six months to stream on Netflix and “Morbius” was on Netflix after five months.

Right now, the only way to see “The Woman King” is in a theater near you.

Who Is in “The Woman King” Cast?

Viola Davis stars as General Nanisca. Thuso Mbedu plays spirited young recruit Nawi. Lashana Lynch plays Izogie, one of Nanisca’s go-to guards. Sheila Atim portrays Amenza, another of Nanisca’s confidants. John Boyega portrays King Ghezo, and Jayme Lawson plays one of his wives Shante. Jimmy Odukoya portrays enemy Oyo leader Oba. Hero Fiennes Tiffin portrays Santo Ferreira, a Portuguese colonizer, and Jordan Bolger plays his friend Malik, whose mother was Dahomey and whose father was Brazilian. Adrienne Warren portrays Ode, and Masali Baduz plays Fumbe, both of whom are fellow recruits to the Agojie like Nawi.

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What Is “The Woman King” About?

The film sees General Nanisca lead her regiment of Agojie warriors into multiple battles with their rivals the Oyo people, led by Oba Ade. Oba has struck a deal with Portuguese slave traders to sell captured rival West Africans into slavery. Nawi, a headstrong young girl who gets brought to King Ghezo’s palace by her father after ruining a prospective arranged marriage with an abusive man, wants nothing more than to be a fierce Agojie fighter. King Ghezo is in the process of recovering his throne from his dead brother, and he is debating on choosing a woman king to rule alongside him and represent women in the processes of his kingdom.

Is “The Woman King” Based on a True Story?

While Davis’ character is fictional, “The Woman King” roots its characters in true historical accounts, like those of a soldier named Nanisca and another named Nawi. King Ghezo ruled the West African kingdom of Dahomey from 1818 to 1851. The Dahomey Amazon warriors also inspired the Dora Milaje in “Black Panther” (2018). You can read more about the historical influences on this film here.

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Is ‘The Woman King’ Based on a True Story?