Lifetime greenlights Gabby Douglas biopic with Regina King in cast

Olympic gold medalist Gabby Douglas leads the Pledge of Allegiance at the Democratic National Convention 2012 at Time Warner Cable Arena on Sept. 5, 2012, in Charlotte, N.C.

By Jessica Gelt

Sept. 16, 2013 1:28 PM PT

Lifetime has officially greenlighted a biopic on legendary gymnast Gabby Douglas, and Douglas herself will make an appearance in the film.

Douglas was the first black gymnast in Olympic history to become the individual all-around champion, and the first American gymnast to win gold in the individual all-around and team competitions at the same Olympics in the summer of 2012.

The film, which is being produced by Sony Pictures TV, is using the working title, “The Gabby Douglas Story.” It stars Imani Hakim (“Everybody Hates Chris”) and Sydney Mikayla as Douglas during different phases of her life. “Southland’s” Regina King is set to play Douglas’ mother.

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Douglas was born on Dec. 31, 1995, in Virginia Beach, Va. She showed early signs of athletic prowess and began training as a gymnast by the time she was 6. By age 8 she won the Level 4 all-around gymnastics title at the 2004 Virginia State Championships.

After achieving international fame with the 2012 Summer Olympics, Douglas has made many notable appearances, including at a campaign rally with President Obama where she introduced Stevie Wonder.

She is currently training for the 2016 Olympics.

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