The tale of Josephine Baker is getting ready to make its return to cinema. FKA Twigs will take on the role of the iconic entertainer in a new film biography to be directed by French director Maïmouna Doucouré. This film marks the first time twigs will play a lead character in a Hollywood movie. Preparations for the shoot are set to start in the autumn. Josephine Baker’s family estate and her adopted children, Jean-Claude Bouillon Baker and Brian Bouillon Baker, are already on board with the project.
FKA Twigs expressed her excitement in her recent statement, “I cannot wait to embody Josephine Baker, bringing her fight, her love, her losses, her talent and her heroism to the big screen. She lives on in our hearts as a visionary, ground-breaking woman whose story is as powerful as it is relevant today.”
Josephine Baker became one of the most prominent entertainers of the Jazz Age era. She was born as Freda Josephine McDonald in St. Louis but went on to become famous for her performances as a dancer, singer, actor, and cabaret star in Paris, France. She made history by becoming the first black woman to star in a movie in 1927 with the release of the French silent film titled Siren of the Tropics. She died in 1975 at the age of 68.
Even after all these years, her biography has remained a popular subject. The memoir Fearless and Free written in 1948 by the writer was finally translated to English in February 2025. It comes as one of the biggest acting feats in the career of Tahliah Debrett Barnett aka FKA Twigs. Alongside her successful career as a singer, she has featured in such movies as Honey Boy, the 2024 remake of The Crow, and Mother Mary (2025).
Maïmouna Doucouré was first recognized internationally with her debut movie Cuties where she won the directing prize at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival. She said, ““Working on this film, I realise how modern, fearless and complex [Baker] was. Beyond the legend, I want to explore her contradictions, her wounds and her immense courage, as well as her relentless fight for dignity.” There is no title for the new movie as yet; neither is there any scheduled release date.
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