Janelle Monáe to play Josephine Baker in WW2 series ‘De La Resistance’

It will focus on Baker’s role as a spy for the French Resistance

Janelle Monáe is set to play entertainer and French Resistance agent Josephine Baker in an upcoming TV series.

From studio A24, De La Resistance will follow Baker’s role as a spy for the French Resistance in the Second World War. It will also cover her career as an entertainer, after she became the first Black woman to star in a major motion picture in 1927 silent film Siren Of The Tropics.

Jennifer Yale, best known for her work on Outlander, See and Legion, will serve as showrunner on the series. Monáe will also serve as a producer under her Wondaland Pictures production company.

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According to Deadline, the series is currently being fought over by multiple streaming services.

Josephine Baker
Josephine Baker CREDIT: adoc-photos/Corbis via Getty Images

Along with her involvement in the French Resistance, which earned her multiple honours from French leader General Charles de Gaulle, Baker is also known for her contributions to the civil rights movement in the US in the 1950s and 1960s.

Monáe has previously starred in the films Moonlight, Hidden Figures and 2020’s Antebellum. She’s also been cast in Rian Johnson’s upcoming murder mystery sequel Knives Out 2 alongside Daniel Craig, Dave Bautista, Edward Norton and Kathryn Hahn.

The singer and actor recently released a collection of short stories titled The Memory Librarian: And Other Stories from Dirty Computer, inspired by her third studio album.

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In September last year, Monaé released a new song ‘Say Her Name’ in collaboration with the African American Policy Forum for International Daughter’s Day. The 17-minute single also featured Beyoncé, Alicia Keys, Zoë Kravitz and Brittany Howard.

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