Netflix's 'Warrior Nun': Release date, plot, cast, trailer and everything else about the YA fantasy show
Based on 'Warrior Nun Areala', a popular '90s manga comic series created by Ben Dunn, this Netflix live-action show has been in the works since 2018. The original comic featured a military order of warrior nuns and priests from the Catholic Church, fighting against demons and other dark forces, in very racy and very un-Catholic nun costumes.
Netflix's 'Warrior Nun' reimagines it as a campy young adult fantasy show, high on comic relief and action, with a mostly female cast clothed in far more practical costumes. The title of each of the 10 episodes references different Bible verses, so expect religious undertones to the show. It was shot in the south of Spain in locations like Ronda, Antequera, Malaga, Almodovar del Rio, and Sevilla over the spring of 2019. So expect some stunning European locales and atmospheric Catholic cathedrals as eye candy. Directing a refreshingly international cast of actors is showrunner Simon Barry, a veteran with titles like 'Van Helsing' and 'Continuum' under his belt. Barry has also written the premiere episode.
Release Date:
The show is set to premiere on Netflix on July 2, 2020.
Plot:
Nineteen-year-old Ava, is an orphan obsessed with death. However, after she dies, she wakes up in a morgue with a new lease on life and superpowers thanks to a divine artifact embedded in her back. She is now the "Halo-Bearer", God's champion in a secret order of demon-fighting nuns. But powerful forces representing both heaven and hell want to find and control her. In her quest to fight evil, she is guided by Father Vincent of the Order of the Cruciform Sword.
Her compatriots are Shotgun Mary, who handles the guns, Sister Beatrice, the team's strategist, and Sister Lilith, an entitled legacy nun, among others. Ava will also cross paths with JC, the charismatic leader of a group of alluring petty criminals, who are running cons all over Europe. A key plot point will be the research work of Jillian Salvius, the CEO of a tech startup, who challenges the Vatican's power by discovering a way to breach into heaven -- a discovery that could make religion obsolete.
Cast:
The lead role of Ava is played by Alba Baptista, a Portuguese actress, who will soon be seen in the film 'Fatima' opposite Harvey Keitel. Tristán Ulloa, a Spanish actor, writer, and director, plays Father Vincent. His most notable work has been 'Sex and Lucía', the 2001 Spanish drama film opposite Paz Vega. He also starred in Netflix's 'Cocaine Coast'. Finnish actress Kristina Tonteri-Young stars as Sister Beatrice. She has previously acted in Netflix's 'Outside the Wire'.
Shotgun Mary is played by American actress Toya Turner, who is known for her work on the 'Chicago Fire' TV series, 'Incredibles 2' (2018), and 'Easy' (2016). Thekla Reuten, a Dutch actress, is Jillian Salvius. Reuten played Lotte in 'Twin Sisters', which was nominated for the Academy Award for 'Best Foreign Language Film'. She has also acted in BBC productions like 'Hidden' and 'Restless' and Showtime's 'Sleeper Cell '.
Lorena Andrea, a British actor, has been cast as Sister Lilith. She starred in Papillon (2017) as Lali, a Wayuu Indian woman who rescues Charlie Hunnam. Other cast members include Sylvia De Fanti as Mother Superion, Emilio Sakraya as JC, Olivia Delcán as Sister Camila, Joaquim De Almeida as Cardinal Duretti, May Simón Lifschitz as Chanel, Dimitri Abold as Randall and Charlotte Vega as Zori .
Creators:
Canadian writer, director, and producer Simon Barry serves as the showrunner. Besides being the writer for the premiere episode, he is also credited as an executive producer alongside Jet Wilkinson and Stephen Hegyes. Amy Berg served as the consulting producer and scripted two of the episodes. Production companies involved with the series were slated to consist of Fresco Film Services and Reality Distortion Field.
Trailer:
In the trailer, Ava, who describes herself as a "freak", narrates how she came to be the "Halo-Bearer". Some people turn her dead body over in the morgue and implant the divine halo artifact in her back, which lets her kill a demon the moment she awakens disoriented and confused. We see her being introduced to the "Order of the Cruciform Sword" by Father Vincent, telling her how the sect has battled demons for eons. Ava, as the typical snarky YA heroine, says "can we skip to the part about how this concerns me?" Ava also isn't a devout believer. The church order obviously wonders, "how did our greatest weapon against evil end up in an unbeliever?" There are shots of nuns training and Ava is introduced to her fellow nuns and fighters in the team like Shotgun Mary, Sister Lilith, Sister Beatrice, and Sister Camila. They efficiently take out demons and send them back to Hell in some fantastically choreographed fight sequences while trading witty one-liners. We also see the main antagonist, Jillian Salvius, who shows off what seems like a dimension hole that seems to be linked to heaven itself.
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