Deadline is reporting that Rachel Morrison is in negotiations to direct Flint Strong, the Universal Pictures drama that is based on the 2015 boxing documentary T-Rex and adapted by Oscar winner Barry Jenkins.
Morrison, who made history being the first Oscar-nominated female cinematographer on Mudbound and also worked on Black Panther, makes her film directorial debut here, after helming the Starz pilot Hightown.
Michael De Luca and De Luca Productions’ Elishia Holmes will produce with Jenkins. Zackary Canepari and Drea Cooper, who helmed the documentary, will be the executive producers.
T-Rex tells the story of 17-year-old Claressa “T-Rex” Shields, a Flint Michigan native whose dreams of becoming the first American woman in history to win an Olympic gold medal in Boxing are realized at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. At the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio, Shields won a second gold medal in Women’s Middleweight boxing.
T-Rex’s journey to success is filled with conflict and triumph, not only in her sports training in distressed Flint but also the aftermath of life after fulfilling her dream. Universal acquired the docu in 2016, with the aim is to make a popcorn sports movie with a female empowerment message in the vein of Rocky, leading up to the 2012 Olympic Games in London where Shields made history in the middleweight class.
Universal’s Senior Executive Vice President of Production Erik Baiers is overseeing the project for the studio.
Here is a glimpse of the fighter’s road as shown in the docu:
Loading…