Gina Prince-Bythewood can recollect the moment she decided to write “The Woman King” for the first time.
Five pages into the story, a scenario that showed a troop of Black female warriors emerging from dense grass as moonlight shone down on them as they prepared to wreak havoc on a campground of male soldiers captivated her attention.
She recounted to Insider via a Zoom interview this past week that she had responded instantly with, “I have to shoot it.”
And fortunately for all of us, she succeeded in doing so.
“The Woman King” is one of the few action films that also serves as nomination fodder. Prince-movie, Bythewood’s which debuts in cinemas on Friday, is unabashedly brutal and touches viewers’ emotions, much like best picture winners “Braveheart” and “Gladiator.”
In the 1800s, the West African kingdom of Dahomey had an all-female army under the command of Viola Davis. John Boyega makes an appearance as the monarch of Dahomey, Lashana Lynch and Sheila Atim battle with Davis as devoted Agojie warriors, while stunning newcomer Thuso Mbedu portrays an orphan who wishes to join the Agojie.
Each celebrity gives a heartfelt performance that will undoubtedly get them noticed throughout the award season.
But without Prince-motivation Bythewood’s and dedication to delivering a potent tale of a real-life all-female company of soldiers in a major cinematic fashion, the film wouldn’t be what it is today.
Really, “intimately epic” was the first phrase that sprang to me, she said. That’s how it felt, she said.
Prince-Bythewood needed a vision to demonstrate how female warriors might “legitimately defeat males.”
The Agojie are being shown on the big screen for the first time, but their tale has already had an impact on popular culture. The Agojie served as inspiration for the all-female Dora Milaje troops in Ryan Coogler’s “Black Panther.”
The producers of “The Woman King,” Maria Bello and Cathy Schulman, were concerned since they were attempting to launch their film at the same time that the Marvel blockbuster was gaining popularity.
Would “Panther” steal its thunder? No. In actuality, it strengthened the “The Woman King” project’s support in Hollywood.
The production was up and running with Davis aboard and Prince-Bythewood in charge (who had recently shown off her action prowess in the popular Netflix film “The Old Guard”).
The parallels between “The Woman King” and “Black Panther,” however, stop with the female warriors. Prince-Bythewood set out to startle listeners by being genuine and unpolished.
Prince-Bythewood stated of the Agojie, “I wanted to truly display the craftsmanship of these ladies.” “They really defeated mankind. How do we ensure that is plausible?”
This achievement was made possible by Prince-Bythewood expanding on the realistic action and on-screen combat in “The Old Guard.” She was aware that she craved the same feeling, but on a much greater scale; rather than intense one-on-ones, she desired gigantic fights with hundreds of more participants, explosions, and copious amounts of blood.
Prince-Bythewood described her plan as “making extended takes that really show off the expertise, show off that it’s actually the actors doing it.” “I want the audience to have a sense of involvement and immersion.
I want the camera to move naturally, capturing the performance and the emotion rather than whipping around where you’re trying to conceal stuff. Considering that great action is character- and story-driven.”
By laying the groundwork for authenticity, Prince-players Bythewood’s were encouraged to be honest, which she leaned on even when the cameras weren’t on.
Prince-Bythewood discovered the intensity of the movie while dancing on set with the actors and crew amid a rainstorm.
The vast palace that serves as the Agojie’s home in the film was constructed in South Africa, where much of the shooting took place.
Prince-Bythewood lost a shoot day due of an unexpected rain during production, as the pressure of shooting increased. She acknowledges that it was a time when she wasn’t in the best of moods.
She remembered, “I was simply sitting with my head down.
However, she could hear chanting and singing in the distance. In fact, the about 300 extras who were working that day on set were singing and chanting in the centre of the palace plaza instead of seeking cover or packing up and leaving.
When the spontaneous celebration in the rain began, Prince-Bythewood went and joined the cast and crew, saying, “It was a wonderful moment and at that time I simply said, “Forget the day.”
Then, specifically recalling the spear scene, she added, “I thought to myself, this is the intensity I want in the movie.”
You may have seen it in the teaser, but Izogie, played by Lashana Lynch, competes against a male soldier to see who can keep a spear lodged in their shoulder the longest.
As her fellow Agojie troops cheer around her, the victorious Agojie soldier removes the spear from her shoulder and starts yelling.
According to Prince-Bythewood, she utilised the vigour from the dancing in the rain to heighten the tension in that moment.
I came up with a chant with our background actors,” she added. To create a sense of competition, “the boys came up with one and the ladies came up with one.”
Lynch followed that by emphasising it.
“This wasn’t planned, Lashana Lynch cries to her other warriors as she takes out the spear. The scenario was escalated when she turned to the males and got in their faces, followed by all the ladies “said Prince-Bythewood.
It’s a standout moment in the film, and Prince-Bythewood said that it wouldn’t have been as moving if it hadn’t happened in the rain.
As a director, “you have to be able to put those parts together and be open to that type of stuff,” she added.
The awards campaign for “The Woman King” has started with a current 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes after the film’s global debut at the Toronto International Film Festival.
Prince-Bythewood is grateful and humbled, but she is also considering the next tale she wants to tell.
I’ve been waiting for this one my entire career, so it will be difficult to top this one, she said. “However, it’s interesting to note that I do miss writing personal essays after reading “The Old Guard” and “The Woman King”.” Going big again after briefly returning to that.”