(Web Desk) - “We are excited the world will see the real, jovial and loving George we know," Roxie Washington said in a statement regarding the new film's development.
George Floyd's daughter and her mother are helping bring his life story to the big screen.
Floyd's daughter, Gianna Floyd, and her mother, Roxie Washington, are working as executive producers on an upcoming film titled Daddy Saved the World from Radar Pictures, 8 Queens Film & Media Productions and Night Fox Entertainment, per reports from Variety, Deadline and EW.
Screenwriter Gregory R. Anderson (Stomp the Yard) is writing the script for the movie, and a director has yet to be selected, as multiple outlets reported. News of the film's development comes just shy of the fourth anniversary of Floyd's murder on Saturday, May 25.
The 46-year-old man was killed by former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin on that date in 2020, with a viral video of the murder sparking a wave of Black Lives Matter protests across the United States throughout that summer.
Chauvin, the officer who was caught on camera pinning his knee to Floyd's neck for about nine minutes while detaining him for allegedly spending a counterfeit $20 bill, was found guilty of second-degree murder, third-degree murder and manslaughter in the killing of Floyd in April 2021, and sentenced to more than 20 years in prison.
Chauvin also later pleaded guilty to federal charges of violating Floyd's civil rights and was sentenced to 21 years in federal prison in July 2022; three other former police officers who responded to the incident with Chauvin were also found guilty of violating Floyd's civil rights.
A press release for the in-development film described it as a “gritty drama of a man and his community thrust into the fiery light of history,” with multiple outlets reporting that it intends to portray Floyd as a flawed human whose death changed the world.
“We need to make changes swiftly. No other child should lose their father like Gianna did," she added. "We thank everyone who stood with us and protested. George’s legacy will live on through this film.”
Daddy Saved the World does not yet have a release date. Furthermore, no casting announcements have been made at this time.