Tiffany Haddish, the comedian and “Girls Trip” actor, is set portray the late Florence Griffith Joyner, or Flo-Jo as she was known by many of her fans, in an upcoming biopic about the Olympic track and field legend.
Haddish is performing double duty on the project, serving also as one of the film’s producers.
“I am looking forward to telling Flo-Jo’s story the way it should be told,” Haddish said in a statement to Variety on Thursday. “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.”
Joyner was not only dominant on the track as a blazing sprinters, but she brought a level of style and swag never seen before or since to any meet she ran in. Flo-Jo memorably donned one-legged racing suits of every imaginable color combination, long nails and a smile that loved the camera. And she did all that while claiming the title, the fastest woman of all time. She still holds world records in the 100 meters and 200 meters that she set in 1988.
Joyner died after suffering an epileptic seizure in 1998 at the far too young age of 38.
Al Joyner, Flo-Jo’s widower and former coach, and the brother of another track icon, Jackie Joyner-Kersey, will serve as a producer and creative consultant on the biopic. Therese Andrews, executive vice president of production at sports content studio Game1, will spearhead the entire project, Variety reported.
“I am so elated to team up with Game1 and Tiffany Haddish on this project,” Al Joyner told the publication. “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.”
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the search is on for a writer for the film.
“I can’t even explain how hard I am going to work to honor Her Legacy!” Haddish tweeted.
Joyner’s fans and fellow athletes have helped to keep her legacy alive with various tributes over the years.
Serena Williams paid tribute to Joyner by wearing a pink, red and black one-legged uniform when she competed in the Australian Open in February.
“I was inspired by Flo-Jo, who was a wonderful track athlete, amazing athlete when I was growing up,” she said at the time.
-HuffPost Black Voices