FKA twigs is set to take on one of the most iconic roles of her career, stepping into the life of Josephine Baker in a new biopic from filmmaker Maïmouna Doucouré. The casting feels especially fitting for an artist known for pushing boundaries, blending performance with vulnerability, and bringing a fearless presence to everything she touches.
The upcoming film, backed by Studiocanal, is expected to begin shooting this fall and will trace Baker’s journey from her early years in St. Louis to her dazzling rise in Paris after moving there in the 1920s. But this project is not just about glamour and stage lights. It also plans to dig into Baker’s work with the French Resistance during World War II and her role in the Civil Rights Movement, highlighting the political courage behind the legend.
In speaking about the role, FKA twigs shared how deeply Baker’s legacy has inspired her, calling her a visionary and a groundbreaking woman whose story still carries urgency today. That sense of emotional and historical weight seems central to the film, especially with Doucouré writing, directing, and producing the project herself.
Doucouré has described Baker as modern, fearless, and full of contradictions, which suggests this biopic will aim for something richer than a standard tribute. With support from Baker’s family, including her sons and the Rainbow Tribe, the film has the chance to honor not only her fame but also her complexity, her activism, and the cost of living so boldly in public.
For BlkCosmo readers, this kind of storytelling matters. Josephine Baker was never just an entertainer. She was a Black woman who turned art into resistance, style into power, and visibility into a political act. Seeing her story revisited through a new creative lens could open up a fresh conversation about legacy, freedom, and what it really means to live without apology.
