Josephine Baker biopic
Music artist FKA Twigs continues her crossover into the movie world. After appearing in films like Honey Boy, Brighton Beach, The Crow remake, The Carpenter’s Son and most recently, Mother Mary, she is set to make her lead debut in an upcoming biopic about Jazz icon Josephine Baker. According to Variety, The untitled film will be produced and financed by StudioCanal. The studio is also set to release the film theatrically in their territories, which include the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Benelux, Poland, Australia and New Zealand.
Director Maïmouna Doucouré
StudioCanal is closing the deal on FKA Twigs to star and Maïmouna Doucouré to direct the film. Doucouré had previously helmed the Netflix movie Cuties, which drew a whole bevy of controversy. FKA Twigs would make a statement on collaborating with the director, “I am honored to collaborate with the immensely talented Maïmouna Doucouré on this incredible project. Josephine Baker’s extraordinary legacy is such an inspiration to me and to so many people around the world. She lives on in our hearts as a visionary, ground-breaking woman whose story is as powerful as it is relevant today. I cannot wait to embody Josephine Baker bringing her fight, her love, her losses, her talent and her heroism to the big screen.”
Doucouré will also be writing the script, as well as produce the film under her Bien Ou Bien Productions banner, alongside StudioCanal and CPB Films. She would also make a statement, saying, “Josephine Baker has lived with me for years. Working on this film, I realise how modern, fearless and complex she was. Beyond the legend, I want to explore her contradictions, her wounds and her immense courage, as well as her relentless fight for dignity.” She would add, “With the extraordinary FKA Twigs bringing her rare artistry, intelligence and emotional depth to the role, it is a huge honour to work with Studiocanal to bring Josephine’s story to the screen for a global audience: the story of a woman who never stopped reinventing herself and fighting for justice and equality.”
Josephine Baker, the Jazz legend
Baker gained fame as a Jazz artist in France after growing up in poverty in St. Louis, Missouri. She became a fashion icon with her extraordinary looks while performing at the Folies Bergère and she led a secret position as a correspondent and a spy for the French Resistance during World War II as she smuggled military intelligence to French allies. She would later become a huge proponent of human rights by dedicating her life to fighting racial prejudice in the Jim Crow-era South.
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