Write On with 'The Woman King' Writer Dana Stevens

Written by screenwriter Dana Stevens, The Woman King is
a historical epic about an all-female warrior unit that protected
the West African kingdom of Dahomey during the 17th to the
19th centuries. The film is set in the 1820s and stars Viola
Davis who is tasked with training the next generation of young
warriors.  Stevens chatted with Final Draft about
discovering the “richness of the story” while writing the script.
“I just could not believe that I did not know this story, that I
had never heard of it,” Stevens said. “And the more I delved into
it, just on my own… I mean, I was watching things on YouTube,
like things in French, you know, I was just I was just blown
away.”


When asked for advice to aspiring screenwriters trying to break
into the industry or write a passion project such as The
Woman King, Stevens had some inspiring words. “Go ahead and
write. Write a lot. Have a few things you're working on. Have
your personal project that you just love, that you think maybe no
one will ever make, but also maybe have another project that's
your, you know, more commercial thing,” she says. 


The Woman King is now available on a variety of streaming
platforms.