FKA Twigs as Josephine Baker: The Biopic That Could Redefine Both Icons
TL;DR FKA Twigs has officially been confirmed to play Josephine Baker in an upcoming biopic directed by Maïmouna Doucouré, with filming set to begin in fall 2026. Studiocanal is financing and co-producing the project, which has the blessing of Baker's surviving family. No release date has been confirmed yet.
What's happening
"Josephine Baker has lived with me for years. Working on this film, I realise how modern, fearless and complex she was." That is Maïmouna Doucouré — director of the polarising, award-winning Cuties — describing what drew her to one of the most extraordinary lives in twentieth-century history. As confirmed by Variety's report published on May 11, 2026, FKA Twigs has officially closed her deal to portray Josephine Baker in a yet-to-be-titled feature biopic. The project, financed and co-produced by Studiocanal, is set to begin principal photography this fall. Studiocanal will launch worldwide sales at the Cannes Film Festival, signalling serious international commercial ambitions for what is shaping up to be one of the most anticipated biographical films in years.
Why this casting and this story matter right now
Biopics about Black women who shaped the twentieth century have historically been underserved by Hollywood — and when they do arrive, they tend to cluster. Recent years gave us Respect (Jennifer Hudson as Aretha Franklin, 2021), Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody (2022), and the ongoing cultural reassessment of figures like Nina Simone. Josephine Baker, however, has remained curiously absent from cinema despite being, by almost any measure, the most globally influential Black female entertainer of the Jazz Age.
Born in St. Louis in 1906, Baker arrived in Paris in 1925 and became one of the most celebrated performers in Europe almost overnight. She later joined the French Resistance during World War II, passing intelligence to Allied forces while maintaining her cover as a performer. Then, in the 1950s and 1960s, she became a visible advocate in the American Civil Rights Movement — refusing to perform for segregated audiences long before it was fashionable to do so. She was, in a single lifetime, a refugee from American racism, a French war hero, and a civil rights pioneer. That story has been waiting for the right film.
The timing feels deliberate. Conversations about race, identity, exile, and the price of assimilation are as sharp in 2026 as they have been at any point in recent memory. A film that dramatises how Baker weaponised her celebrity against fascism and segregation is not a period piece. It is current affairs in costume.
From a commercial standpoint, the biopic genre remains one of streaming's most reliable audience draws. Films like Bohemian Rhapsody and Elvis proved that music-driven biopics can generate genuine theatrical event energy — and Studiocanal's decision to pursue theatrical releases across the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Benelux, Poland, Australia, and New Zealand signals that this project is being positioned as exactly that kind of event film.
Background and history: the film, the director, and the star
Doucouré will write and direct the film under her Bien Ou Bien Productions banner, producing alongside Studiocanal and CPB Films. The project has been developed with the active involvement of Baker's sons, Jean-Claude Bouillon Baker and Brian Bouillon Baker, as well as members of the Rainbow Tribe — Baker's collective name for her many adopted children. That family endorsement matters enormously, both ethically and practically. It signals access to private archives, personal testimony, and the kind of nuanced family knowledge that separates authorised biopics from speculative ones.
Doucouré is a filmmaker who courts controversy without flinching. Cuties (2020) became one of Netflix's most debated acquisitions, winning the directing award at Sundance before triggering a storm of criticism over its subject matter. Whatever one thinks of that film, Doucouré demonstrated a precise, empathetic eye for the interior lives of young women navigating impossible social pressures. Applied to Baker's story — a woman who spent her entire adult life performing versions of herself for audiences who wanted to consume her without truly seeing her — that sensibility feels precisely right.
FKA Twigs (real name Tahliah Debrett Barnett) brings a rare combination of skills to the role. She is a trained dancer, a Grammy-recognised recording artist, and a developing screen actress whose most recent film credit is A24's Mother Mary. As Blavity reported, Twigs was already in negotiations for the role in late 2025, with Doucouré publicly praising her as the perfect physical and artistic fit. Twigs herself said in a statement: "Josephine Baker's extraordinary legacy is such an inspiration to me and to so many people around the world. She lives on in our hearts as a visionary, ground-breaking woman whose story is as powerful as it is relevant today."
This is not the first time a Baker biopic has been discussed in Hollywood circles. Ruth Negga and Janelle Monáe have both been linked to separate, earlier projects that never advanced to production. This version, with its confirmed director, confirmed lead, and Cannes sales launch, is the one that appears to have genuine momentum.
Where to watch the Josephine Baker biopic
Straight answer: we do not know yet. No streaming deal has been announced as of this writing, and no release date has been confirmed.
What we do know is that Studiocanal will handle theatrical distribution in its own territories — the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Benelux, Poland, Australia, and New Zealand. For audiences in those markets, a cinema release appears to be the primary plan.
For viewers in India, the United States, and Spain — three of Movie OTT's core markets — streaming availability will depend on deals struck after or during the Cannes sales launch. Given Studiocanal's existing relationships with various platforms, possibilities include:
- Netflix — Studiocanal has a history of licensing to Netflix internationally
- Apple TV+ — increasingly active in acquiring prestige international biopics
- Prime Video — a consistent buyer of awards-adjacent theatrical titles
- MUBI — a natural home for a French-produced art-house adjacent feature
Readers should bookmark movieott.com for streaming availability updates as distribution deals are announced. We will track this one closely.
What viewers should know
Who is playing Josephine Baker? FKA Twigs, the British singer, dancer, and actress known for her avant-garde music and her acting work in A24's Mother Mary, has been officially confirmed in the title role after months of negotiations.
Who is directing the film? Maïmouna Doucouré, the French-Senegalese filmmaker who won the Sundance directing award for Cuties in 2020. She is also writing the screenplay and producing under her Bien Ou Bien Productions banner.
What will the film cover? The biopic intends to span Baker's full life — her birth in St. Louis in 1906, her rise to fame in Paris from 1925 onward, her work as a French Resistance operative during World War II, and her involvement in the American Civil Rights Movement in the 1950s and 1960s.
Has Baker's family approved the film? Yes. Baker's sons Jean-Claude Bouillon Baker and Brian Bouillon Baker, along with members of the Rainbow Tribe, are involved in the project's development — a significant mark of authenticity and access.
When does filming start? Principal photography is scheduled to begin in fall 2026. No release date has been announced.
Conclusion
The Josephine Baker biopic has all the ingredients for genuine cultural impact. A subject whose life genuinely defies compression. A director with the courage to explore contradiction rather than sand it smooth. A lead performer whose entire artistic identity — movement, music, transformation, survival — maps onto Baker's own in ways that feel less like casting and more like alignment.
Doucouré put it plainly: "Beyond the legend, I want to explore her contradictions, her wounds and her immense courage, as well as her relentless fight for dignity." That ambition, if realised on screen, would put this film in a different category entirely from the standard awards-season biopic.
We will continue tracking casting announcements, a confirmed release date, and streaming distribution news here on Movie OTT. For related coverage of upcoming prestige biopics and their global streaming availability, stay with us.
