Tony Award Winner Adrienne Warren & Sheila Atim Join Cast Of Gina Prince-Bythewood’s The Woman King
Deadline is reporting that Adrienne Warren, who just won the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical for her role in Tina: The Tina Turner Musical, and Sheila Atim have joined the cast of TriStar Pictures’ The Woman King, starring Viola Davis, Lashana Lynch, Thuso Mbedu and John Boyega in the ensemble for director Gina Prince-Bythewood.
The film is a historical epic 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 (Davis), General of the all-female military unit, and Nawi (Mbedu), an ambitious recruit, who together fought enemies who violated their honor, enslaved their people and threatened to destroy everything they’ve lived for. As the warrior cast is being rounded out, Warren and Atim will play warriors in Nanisca’s elite unit.
Based on an original screenplay by Dana Stevens and current draft by Stevens and Prince-Bythewood, the film is being produced by Cathy Schulman though her Welle Entertainment. Davis and Julius Tennon of JuVee Productions and Maria Bello of Jack Blue Productions are also producing.
Warren earned praise for her portrayal of Tina Turner in Tina: The Tina Turner Musical, which landed her first Tony Award. Warren also received a special Tony Award this year for her work as co-founder of the Broadway Advocacy Coalition, which was started by members of the Broadway Community as a direct response to racism and police brutality in the U.S. It was recently announced that Warren will return to her role for a limited engagement when the show reopens at The Lunt-Fontanne Theatre on October 8. Warren will also star as Mamie Till-Mobley in the ABC Limited Series ‘Women of the Movement.’
Atim recently appeared in Barry Jenkins’ celebrated limited series The Underground Railroad. She next will be seen in Academy Award winner Halle Berry’s directorial debut, Bruised, and Robert Zemeckis live-action version of Pinocchio, set for 2022.