Tiffany Haddish to produce and star in biopic about Olympic icon Florence Griffith Joyner
Tiffany Haddish has something of Olympic proportions underway.
The Emmy and Grammy Award-winning funnywoman has set her sights on the life and career of Olympic track and field icon Florence Griffith Joyner, also known as “Flo-Jo,” for her next project.
Haddish will produce and star in a biopic about the Los Angeles native once known as the fastest woman in the world.
The “Girls Trip” star has teamed up with sports content studio game1 to produce the film, which will tell Joyner’s life story, including running in the 100-meter and 200-meter races in the 1988 Olympics.
Joyner died at 38 from an epileptic seizure in 1998 and served as a hero to many, including a young Haddish.
“I am looking forward to telling Flo-Jo’s story the way it should be told,” Haddish says in a statement. “My goal with this film is making sure that younger generations know my ‘she-ro’ Flo-Jo, the fastest woman in the world to this day, existed.”
Game1 and Haddish also announced they will produce an array of companion content, including a documentary series and a podcast.
The Los Angeles-based sports-oriented content studio is focused on the development, production and distribution of premium content that creates a bridge between sports-based intellectual property and brands and Hollywood.
The company has Halle Berry’s directorial debut, the upcoming MMA fighter film “Bruised” slated to stream on Netflix, listed among its roster.
To help prepare for the physically demanding role, Haddish is working with Flo-Jo’s widower and former training coach, Al Joyner, who will serve as a producer and creative consultant on the project.
“I am so elated to team up with game1 and Tiffany Haddish on this project,” Joyner said. “Working with Tiffany has been a great pleasure – she is incredibly dedicated, focused, and committed to portraying the spirit of Florence accurately, whose legacy of making a difference in the world will live on for generations to come. I hope that this film touches all who see it and inspires people to BE the change the world so desperately needs right now!”
