Tiffany Haddish is sprinting into action to portray Olympic track and field heroine Florence Griffith Joyner in a new biopic.
The “Girls Trip” star has teamed up with officials at sports-oriented content studio game1 to share the story of the woman known as Flo-Jo, who won three gold medals at the 1988 Olympics and still holds the title as the fastest woman of all time.
The superstar athlete abruptly retired from the sport in 1989, and died in her sleep from an epileptic seizure in 1998, aged just 38.
The actress has already started training for the role with Flo-Jo’s widower and former coach, Al Joyner, who will serve as a producer and creative consultant on the film, according to Deadline.
In addition to starring in the biopic, Haddish will also help to develop a documentary series and podcast related to the film.
“I am looking forward to telling Flo-Jo’s story the way it should be told,” Haddish shares 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.”
Adds Al Joyner: “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!”