There are a few times when we think studio marketing machines work a little too hard to get people interested. Sure, it’s a difficult sell to get people to drop their phones for a minute or two and pay attention to a trailer when they’ve got TikToks or Instagram stories to watch (and we’re not above it, because holy shit do we drop everything when an icon gets that “Close Friends” green above it), but all you really need to do to sell a movie like Gina Prince-Bythewood’s The Woman King is say the words “epic,” “elite warriors,” the director’s name, and “Viola Davis” in a single sentence. Boom, you’ve sold at least one ticket on that description of the film alone (it’s ours, duh), and this dope trailer Sony Pictures dropped earlier on Wednesday is just gravy on top.
Take a look:
Here’s a synopsis:
“‘The Woman King is the remarkable story of the Agojie, the all-female unit of warriors who protected the African Kingdom of Dahomey in the 1800s with skills and a fierceness unlike anything the world has ever seen. Inspired by true events, ‘The Woman King’ follows the emotionally epic journey of General Nanisca (Oscar-winner Viola Davis) as she trains the next generation of recruits and readies them for battle against an enemy determined to destroy their way of life. Some things are worth fighting for…'”
The Woman King will hit theaters on September 16, and we’re willing to bet that this will be a Gala premiere in the TIFF line-up when it’s announced in the next few weeks. In the meantime, why not go out and pick up the new Criterion edition of Prince-Bythewood’s ’99 classic Love and Basketball? The annual 50 percent off sale is currently happening over at Barnes and Noble, so it’s a pretty damn good time to check it out. Also, this isn’t (intentionally) an ad, we just really like that movie and those discs are fucking expensive.