Janelle Monáe has been tapped to play jazz icon Josephine Baker in a forthcoming television series from A24, Deadline reports. The show, titled De la Resistance, will center on Baker’s work as a world renowned jazz performer—and also her role as as a spy for the Allies during the French resistance in World War II. On Twitter, Monáe called Baker her hero and said that portraying her is a “dream finally coming to life.”
Jennifer Yale, who has worked on series such as See, Outlander, and Underground, is the creator and showrunner of De la Resistance. In addition to landing the lead role, Monáe will produce the series via her own Wondaland Pictures. Monáe’s latest Met Gala look nodded at Josephine Baker; the artist wore a close-cut, beaded Ralph Lauren gown with a fitted hood for the gilded glamour-themed event.
Monáe’s most recent studio album Dirty Computer came out in 2018. She’s starred in a number of films and TV series, including Hidden Figures, Moonlight, Antebellum, Harriet, and more.
Read more about Janelle Monáe in “The 200 Most Important Artists of Pitchfork’s First 25 Years.”
