Josephine Baker’s performances buried any imprints that she doubled as a spy for the French Resistance against the Nazis during World War II. Her flamboyant costumes, bold movements and sways, and short, slick hairstyle guaranteed wild and revered entertainment, celebrated in foreign lands, but met with resistance in her homeland. A24 has stepped forward to pick up the narratives of Baker, dig deep into the highs and lows of her life, and air her biopic as a TV series titled De la Resistance.
According to reports, the series will focus on Baker’s iconography as a jazz artist and performer and a civil-rights activist, and a key player in the French Resistance. Songstress and actress Janelle Monáe (Hidden Figures, Moonlight and Harriet) will play Baker in the series; Chuck Lightning, Mikael Moore, Nate Wonder, Dana Gills, and Angela Gibbs will serve as executive producers; and Jennifer Yale (See, Outlander and Underground) will lead the show.
In her Instagram post, Monáe expressed her honor and excitement in playing the role and called Baker her ‘hero’. “A dream role with a dream team! Mercí beaucoup! Can’t believe I get to honor you ‘Black Venus’ aka my hero, Madame Josephine Baker! I can’t wait to transform into the iconic performer, American hero, glamorous bi-con goddess, intellect, global humanitarian, and spy that is you, telling a unique story only a few know,” she writes. The actress and songstress even paid homage to Baker in her recent Met Gala look from Ralph Lauren, a dress that anchored about 36,000 hand-crafted black and white stones.
