Who is the Writer of The Woman King?

‘The Woman King,' directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood, is finally hitting theatres in the United States and Canada. The film is claimed to have made a stunning $19 million in the first three days of its release.

The Woman King is a female-centric and action-packed action epic starring the famous Viola Davis. The video portrays the incredible story of the Agojie, an all-female warrior organization that guarded the African kingdom of Dahomey in the 1800s with prowers and fierceness never seen before in the world.

Who Wrote The Woman King? All About Who Makes the King!

Based on real events, The Woman King follows the emotional journey of General Nanisca (Viola Davis) as she trains the next generation of recruits to fight against an enemy who wants to destroy their way of life.

In addition to Viola Davis, who won an Oscar for her role, the other main characters in the historical epic film are played by Thuso Mbedu, Lashana Lynch, Sheila Atim, and John Boyega. Director Gina Prince-Bythewood has already talked about how hard it was to put together the fight and stunt choreography for The Woman King in an action-packed master class.

After its much-hyped release and first screenings, the movie got good reviews. As expected, critics liked the cast, especially Davis, and the action choreography. But even with all this praise, the movie made people argue on sites like Twitter and Reddit about how Dahomey was portrayed and what role they played in slavery.

Others said that this kind of attention to historical accuracy wasn't present in movies about white European history, but it was important in a movie about black history. Supporters and critics on both sides of this debate helped bring to light the scriptwriter Dana Stevens, who created the first and most important plan for this film. The crew and the audience all agree that this wouldn't have been possible without a well-written script and without her.

Who Is Dana Stevens?

Dana Stevens is an American screenwriter and TV writer/producer who was born on October 16, 1963. She may be reminded of the 2021 film “Fatherhood” by at least a small percentage of readers. That's right, it was the drama-comedy that moved us so much last year.

The story by Dana Stevens was brilliant, and Paul Weitz did a fantastic job directing. The Netflix smash, based on the biography Two Kisses for Maddy: A Memoir of Loss and Love by Matthew Logelin, did a terrific job monetarily.

Movies she has worked on include the Lasse Hallstrom-directed adaptation of a Nicholas Sparks novel, Safe Haven; the Nicolas Cage–Meg Ryan vehicle City of Angels; Sam Raimi's For Love of the Game; Michael Apted's Blink; and Angelina Jolie's Life or Something Like It.

Her other two critically lauded works that catapulted her into the spotlight were the ABC television series What About Brian, produced by J. J. Abrams, and the CBS television series “Reckless.”

She may have had her big breaks on those projects, but she made the most of the chances that came her way going forward, too. Her dogged determination earned her the title of “last female screenwriter involved in creating a Bond film” until Phoebe Waller-Bridge polished the script for 2019's “No Time to Die.”

In spite of the fact that each of these pieces was original and fascinating in its own right, the common thread that connected them was a preponderance of female viewpoints and protagonists. The feminism in her is alive and well, loud and bright enough to let the deaf hear and the blind see, as seen by her uncredited rewriting of ‘The World Is Not Enough,' directed by her then-husband Michael Apted and her most recent smash, ‘The Woman King.

It's no surprise that patriarchal standards and the male gaze have dominated Hollywood from the beginning, as they reflect those of the real world. However, a new group of authors, filmmakers, and artists have emerged to challenge the regressive standards by imagining and constructing a new society for the marginalized and disadvantaged, specifically women.

Both the trip and the aim were simple, yet progressive authors like Dana Stevens have earned their rightful place in the anthology. General Nanisca, her character in The Woman King, says it best: “Some things are worth fighting for!” This collective effort is a reflection of the sentiments expressed by her character.

How Much Modern Dance Went Into Those Scenes?

Definitely historical. So much of what they accomplished has been handed on for centuries. And we discovered this film from the 1960s of these women's descendants doing traditional dances. So much of the aggressiveness, the knife-slashing, the stabbing, was choreographed. As a result, we were able to select a few of the real motions and then inject them with more dancing to fill it out.

Did You Hear About It on the Old Guard?

Absolutely. My blueprint for The Old Guard was the toilet fight in M: I6, one of the best fights ever. So knowing what it takes to have longer takes, to realize [the guy performing the fighting] is the actor, to get the performance in every moment — it taught me a lot. So that's what we focused on in The Old Guard.

This was unique since [only] Lashana had ever done something like this before. So, how do I get a bunch of women who have never done anything on this scale close to the point where I can trust them with the action and an audience believes them? That required a leap of faith. Danny Hernandez, whom I met on Old Guard, was my combat coordinator — he was my second call after seeing how he worked with actors. They have complete faith in him, and he motivates them.

We discussed how we couldn't fit them in our box. Six days a week, two times a day, the training had begun months ago. It was the most difficult thing they'd ever done. Character development was also part of the rehearsal process. Doing something to your mind and body alters the way you move and think about yourself. They developed into athletes. They evolved into warriors. And it totally united them, because they were going through this horror together. That sisterhood that we established [while training] manifested itself on screen.