George Floyd, the 46-year-old man whose murder by a Minneapolis police officer sparked nationwide anti-police brutality protests in 2020, will be getting the biopic treatment.
The family-authorized film, titled Daddy Changed the World, will depict the life of the man who became a national symbol of racial injustice, Deadline reported on Wednesday.
Radar Pictures (credits including Jumanji, Pitch Black and The Last Samurai), 8 Queens Film & Media Production and Night Fox Entertainment will produce the feature film, which is currently in search of a director. Gregory R Anderson, the writer behind Stomp the Yard, will pen the script. Floyd’s daughter Gianna Floyd and his mother Roxie Washington will serve as executive producers.
News of the film arrives just days before the fourth anniversary of Floyd’s murder on 25 May 2020 by Minneapolis, Minnesota, officer Derek Chauvin, detained Floyd for allegedly carrying a counterfeit $20 bill and knelt on his neck for approximately nine minutes, despite Floyd saying repeatedly that he could not breathe. Video of Floyd’s death went viral, sparking an international movement for racial justice under the Black Lives Matter banner.
Chauvin was convicted of second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter in April 2021 and sentenced to 22.5 years in prison. Three other officers present at the scene were convicted of violating Floyd’s civil rights.
Daddy Changed the World will address Floyd’s harrowing murder as well as his life, as a person with “flaws and many layers like all of us”, according to Deadline. The project will not be a straightforward biopic, but rather a “gritty drama of a man and his community thrust into the fiery light of history”.
“We are excited the world will see the real, jovial and loving George we know,” said Washington, Floyd’s mother, in a statement to Deadline. “This film will humanize him, embody the essence of his life, and hopefully reignite efforts to pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act. It’s time for justice and equality for all.
“We need to make changes swiftly,” she added. “No other child should lose their father like Gianna did. We thank everyone who stood with us and protested. George’s legacy will live on through this film.”
Kaeita Rankin, from 8 Queens, said that Daddy Changed the World aims to “inspire change and create a better future for generations to come. George Floyd’s legacy will not be forgotten, and I am honored to be a part of this important project”.
