Photo: Getty Images
Singer, author, and actress Janelle Monáe has landed the role of iconic performer and activist Josephine Baker in the upcoming series De La Resistance.
According to Deadline, the show will revolve around Baker's run as one of the most show-stopping entertainers in history and when she played a crucial role in helping the Allies defeat the Nazis during the French Revolution.
Monáe, who will also serve as a producer on the show, has long been a fan of Baker and recently paid homage to the legendary performer with her 2022 Met Gala look.
The Memory Librarian author said in a statement about her upcoming role, "I can’t wait to transform into the iconic performer, American hero, glamorous bi-con goddess, intellect, global humanitarian, and SPY that is you; telling a unique story only a few know."
Baker, American-born, spent most of her career in Europe known for her must-see, attention-grabbing performances. Her glamorous stage appearance became the iconography behind the Jazz Age and Roaring Twenties.
A spy for the French Resistance during WWll, Baker was awarded several honors for her work by French General Charles de Gaulle.
In the U.S., Baker became a beacon of the civil rights movement as she refused to perform her highly sought-after talents for segregated audiences. Coretta Scott King even offered the entertainer a civil rights leadership role after Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated.
In 1927, Baker also made history as the first Black woman to star in a major motion picture.
The Baker-inspired show De La Resistance is still being fought over by multiple streaming platforms. A24, the entertainment company behind the drama, has produced other hit films and TV series including Euphoria, Moonlight, Uncut Gems, Ramy, and more.
Get the latest news 24/7 on The Black Information Network. Listen now on the iHeartRadio app or click HERE to tune in live.