Janelle Monáe to Play Josephine Baker in New Drama Series

Janelle Monáe is set to star as the iconic entertainer and freedom fighter Josephine Baker in a forthcoming TV series, De La Resistance.

A24 – the studio behind titles such as Everything Everywhere All at Once and Lady Bird – will produce the highly-anticipated film while various streaming platforms bid for its release.

The series will follow Baker as she acts as a spy for the French Allies during World War II as well as her rise to stardom as the first Black woman to feature in a major motion picture –Siren of The Tropics in 1927.

Monáe will also co-produce the title. Monáe has been a long-time fan of Baker. Most recently she paid homage to the “Creole Goddess” with her look at this year’s Met Gala. The eight-time Grammy nominee sported a tight-fitting Ralph Lauren gown with a Baker-Esque jeweled hood.

Baker spent most of her career in Europe as one of the most celebrated performers in Paris. Her role in Un Vent de Folie in 1927 became a sensation in the city and her nouveau costuming became an iconic symbol for both the Jazz Age and the Roaring Twenties.

Baker made waves by refusing to perform to segregated audiences in the U.S. and is noted as a major influence on the civil rights movement. Coretta Scott King offered Baker a leadership role following her husband’s assassination in 1968.

Monáe is best known as an actress for her roles in Hidden Figures, Harriet, and fellow A24 title Moonlight. She will also star in Rian Johnson’s forthcoming Knives Out 2.

Her last full-length album, Dirty Computer, was nominated for Album of the Year at the 2019 Grammy Awards. The companion film was a finalist for the Hugo Awards for Best Dramatic Presentation – Short Form.

Photo by Theo Wargo/WireImage