Tiffany Haddish has signed up to play Olympic track and field heroine Florence Griffith Joyner in an upcoming new biopic.

The Girls Trip star has teamed up with officials at studio game1 to tell the story of the iconic American athlete, 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.

She retired in 1989, and tragically died in her sleep from an epileptic seizure in 1998, at the age of 38.

Haddish has already started training for the role and is working with Flo-Jo’s widower and former coach, Al Joyner, who will also serve as a producer and creative consultant on the film.

“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,” she said in a statement to Deadline.

As well as the biopic, the 41-year-old will also help to develop a documentary series and podcast about Flo-Jo’s life and career.

Joyner said he was “elated” to be working with Haddish and game1 to bring his late wife’s achievements to the big screen.

“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,” he said.

“I hope that this film touches all who see it and inspires people to BE the change the world so desperately needs right now!”

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