Another major star is joining Viola Davis in TriStar Pictures’ The Woman King. Lashana Lynch has joined the cast of the historical epic, directed by The Old Guard helmer Gina Prince-Bythewood and starring Davis and Emmy nominee Thuso Mbedu. What role Lynch will play in the film has yet to be revealed, but with the scope of the film being as fantastic and broad as it is, we’re sure she’s going to make a splash.
The Woman King, based on an original screenplay by Dana Stevens, is set to tell the story of the Kingdom of Dahomey, one of the most powerful states in Africa in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Inspired by true events, the film follows Nanisca (Davis), a powerful general of an all-female military unit, and Nawi (Mbedu), her ambitious recruit who followed her in a campaign to defeat their enemies and restore their honor, avenging the lives of their people who were enslaved.
Prince-Bythewood expressed her enthusiasm for Lynch’s star power, as she joins an already stacked cast of talented women: “Lashana is next-level dope — not just her incredible chops, but who she projects to the world. She embodies these true-life warriors, and we are so lucky she is coming to play.”
This new project is just one of a number of big-name projects for Lynch, who appeared as Maria Rambeau in 2019’s Captain Marvel alongside Brie Larson. Set to star in No Time to Die as the new 007 this October, Lynch will also appear in Ear for Eye, as well as Netflix’s adaptation of Matilda, the hit West End musical.
The Woman King is produced by Academy Award winner Cathy Schulman for Welle Entertainment, who also serves as executive producer and showrunner on another Davis project, The First Lady. Davis and producing partner Julius Tennon are also producing the project under their JuVee Productions banner, and Nicole Brown and Shary Shirazi are overseeing the project for TriStar Pictures.