Gina Prince-Bythewood’s acclaimed historical epic “The Woman King” came in second at the box-office this weekend, dropping just 41% for a haul of $11.1 million in its sophomore run.
With $36 million so far, the Viola Davis-led film is tracking for an $80 million total domestic haul – not bad for a $50 million budgeted feature. Whether it will be enough for a possible follow-up, who knows, but it seems at least one of its stars has an idea for what could be done.
Actor John Boyega, who plays the Dahomean king Ghezo in the film, has reportedly pitched his own idea for a sequel to his cast mates, including actress Thuso Mbedu, who revealed the details to Variety:
“John’s idea is amazing… Basically, to go back to the history of the Dahomey – where he isn’t really a favourable king in real history. He would want us to touch on that in the second one. What if we see him as more of a villain? That type of situation. And I was like, ‘That’s nice!’ It would be cool to see him in a different light.
I texted Gina the other day about it, and she was like, ‘Ah, actually that could work,’ and then started bouncing ideas, and I’m like, ‘Gina, go to sleep!’ And she was like, ‘No, my mind is ticking already.'”
The film has hit some controversy over its narrative liberties as Dahomey was a strong supporter of the slave trade and slave economy. Boyega’s King Ghezo condemns the slave trade in an impassioned speech at the end of the film, but a sequel could potentially offer a story that skews a closer to history.
Reviews for the film have been glorious, sitting at 94% with critics and 99% with audiences on Rotten Tomatoes, and an A+ CinemaScore in exit polls.
