The Crow star and singer/performer FKA Twigs has been cast in the upcoming film on 1920s international superstar Josephine Baker.
Variety reports that FKA Twigs is starring as the iconic dancer, actor and spy in an upcoming biopic directed by Cuties filmmaker Maïmouna Doucouré. Studiocanal is co-producing with Bien ou Bien Prods and CPB Films. Thankfully, the film also has the seal of approval from Baker’s sons, Jean-Claude Boullion Baker and Brian Bouillon Baker, as well as her adopted children, whom she called the Rainbow Tribe.
This project is unrelated to the ABC limited series that was once in the works starring Ruth Negga as Baker, as well as a Janelle Monaé A24 project set back in 2022.
Highlights of Josephine Baker’s story
Born in the U.S., Baker had a tremendous and impactful life as one of the first Black international celebrities of the 20th century. She became the first Black woman to star in a major motion picture in 1927, when she starred in Siren of the Tropics. Her cabaret and dance performances included references to African dance and culture. While some might argue that her performances catered a bit to the discriminatory attitudes at the time, she can also be championed for bringing Black elegance and vibrance to the international stage. Baker also served as a spy during World War II and fought for civil rights in America.
Doucouré, on the other hand, fielded controversy when her film about the sexualization of young girls, Cuties, got backlash from Netflix viewers who misinterpreted the meaning of her film. However, Cuties earned her the best director award at Sundance as well as the Academy Gold Fellowship for Women from the Academy Women’s Initiative, according to Variety.
What Maïmouna Doucouré previously said about the project
News of Doucouré bringing Baker’s story to the big screen was announced as early as 2022. Shadow and Act reported on the news at the time, including Doucouré’s statement about adapting Baker’s story.
“I am very excited to be involved in this wonderful project,” she said at the time. “Josephine Baker is such an inspiration for me and so many people around the world. It’s a huge honor and also a beautiful challenge to board this project with Studiocanal. To think that through fiction I can tell her great and profoundly rich story, her beauty, her fights, her wounds, and her humanity. I can’t wait to breathe new life into this incredible legend on screen.”
