Tiffany Haddish is about to put her comedic skills aside and display her athleticism in an upcoming biopic as Olympic champion Florence Griffith Joyner.
Joyner, commonly known as Flo-Jo, was an American track and field athlete who holds the record for being the world’s fastest woman. In 1988, she set world records in the 100m and 200m, which she still holds. Joyner competed in her first Olympics in 1984, capturing a silver medal in the 200-meter dash in her hometown of Los Angeles. She next competed in the 1988 Olympics, winning three gold medals in her signature events: the 100m, 200m, and 4x100m relay. The legendary track star died in her sleep in 1998 at the age of 38 from an epileptic attack.
“I am looking forward to telling Flo-Jo’s story the way it should be told. 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,” stated Haddish in a statement to Variety.
Several producers, including Haddish and Joyner’s husband, Al Joyner, are involved in the upcoming project, which also features Game1 Content. Al Joyner will also serve as a creative consultant on the project, and he has already begun training Haddish for the role, employing techniques used by his late wife during her career.
“I am so elated to team up with Game1 and Tiffany Haddish on this project. 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!” said Joyner in the statement.
In addition to the feature film, Haddish and Game1 are collaborating on a documentary series and a podcast.
