British singer and actor FKA twigs is officially set to play legendary entertainer and activist Josephine Baker in a new biopic that is already generating major awards-season buzz. Here’s everything we know so far.
The film will be written, directed, and produced by French filmmaker Maïmouna Doucouré, best known for her acclaimed 2020 film Cuties. Doucouré has reportedly been attached to the project since 2022, and the movie is now moving forward with backing from Studiocanal. Production is expected to begin in autumn 2026, with filming scheduled for the fall.
The biopic has also been developed with the cooperation of Baker’s surviving sons, Jean-Claude and Brian Bouillon Baker, giving the project an added layer of authenticity and family approval.
Twigs, whose real name is Tahliah Barnett, said she was “honoured” to take on the role, calling Baker’s legacy “such an inspiration” and describing her as a “visionary, ground-breaking woman whose story is as powerful as it is relevant today.” She added that she cannot wait to bring Baker’s “fight, love, losses, talent and heroism” to the big screen.
Doucouré has said she wants the film to go beyond the glamorous public image of Baker and explore her contradictions, emotional wounds, courage, and relentless fight for dignity and equality. That means audiences can expect a deeper portrait of Baker, not just her rise as a Jazz Age icon in 1920s Paris, but also her work in the French Resistance during World War II and her activism during the American Civil Rights Movement.
The project also seems to confirm that the previously announced A24 television series about Baker starring Janelle Monáeis no longer moving forward. That series was announced in 2022 but never materialized.
Online reaction has been mixed but highly engaged. Some fans on Reddit have praised the casting, calling Twigs “perfect” and “Oscar nomination worthy,” while others questioned whether she has the acting range for such a demanding lead role, with some suggesting names like Ruth Negga or Janelle Monáe instead.
Still, with Twigs’ dance background, striking screen presence, and Baker’s own legacy of reinvention and fearless artistry, this could become one of the most talked-about music biopics of the next few years.