John Boyega joins the cast of The Woman King with the promise of bringing some ‘innate depth and swagger’ to the role.
John Boyega has joined the cast of The Woman King, the upcoming film from The Old Guard director Gina Prince-Bythewood. The helmer turned down the chance to make a sequel to the successful Netflix action flick to instead focus on this project.
The official synopsis for the film reads as such: ‘the project is inspired by true events that took place in the Kingdom of Dahomey, one of the most powerful states of Africa in the 18th and 19th centuries. The story follows Nanisca (Viola Davis), general of an all-female military unit, and Nawi (Thuso Mbedu), an ambitious recruit, who together fight enemies who violated their honour, enslaved their people and threatened to destroy everything they’ve lived for.’
Boyega will reportedly play Dahomey’s ruler, King Ghezo, with Prince-Bythewood claiming his ‘innate depth and swagger’ mean he is perfect for the role.
As an original screenplay, little else is known about the project at this moment, however, in the wake of his dissatisfying Star Wars experience, it’s clear that Boyega is intent on largely picking roles away from blockbuster movies, choosing parts instead that he finds both interesting and worthy. With a return to the part of Moses in an Attack The Block sequel looming, as well as turns in recent films like Steve McQueen’s Small Axe anthology and Naked Singularity, we’d argue that it’s a move that is most certainly paying off.
The Hollywood Reporter
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