Tiffany Haddish to produce & play Olympic Great Florence Griffith Joyner in Upcoming Biopic
Variety is reporting that Tiffany Haddish will play Olympic Great Florence Griffith Joyner in an upcoming biopic.
Known as “Flo-Jo” to her fans, who helped popularize track and field with her record-breaking Olympic run and flashy personality and style (she originated the “one-legger” look with her running suits). Many of the records that Joyner set in the 1988 Olympics, including those in the 100 m and 200 m, have yet to be broken. Joyner died in 1998 at the age of 38 of an epileptic seizure.
Haddish will produce the film, as well. A release announcing the project says that Joyner was one of Haddish’s heroes growing up.
Game1 Co-CEO’s Basil Iwanyk and Greg Economou will also serve as producers on this film. In addition, Flo-Jo’s widower and former coach, Al Joyner, will serve as a producer and creative consultant on the project. Additionally, he has already begun training Haddish to play the role, using methods that his late wife deployed during her career. Melanie Clark of She Ready Productions will also serve as a producer, while Jonathan Fuhrman of Thunder Road Pictures will serve as an executive producer.
Therese Andrews, EVP of Production at game1, is spearheading the entire project.
“I am looking forward to telling Flo-Jo’s story the way it should be told,” said Haddish. “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.”
Haddish’s recent credits include the comedies “Like a Boss,” “Night School,” and “Here Today” opposite Billy Crystal. She will next appear in Paul Schrader’s “The Card Counter” alongside Oscar Isaac and Tye Sheridan.