New Line Cinema Is Giving Misty Copeland The Biopic She Deserves

For those of you uninitiated in the awesomeness of American Ballet Theatre’s soloist Misty Copeland, you’re in luck: Deadline reports that New Line Cinema has optioned the rights to her best-selling memoir Life in Motion: An Unlikely Ballerina. Considering the variety of barriers the star has leapt in her lifetime, that’s great news even for film-goers who aren’t versed in the dance world.

For a taste of what the film may have to offer, here’s a PBS NewsHour clip with Copeland reading an excerpt from her memoir.

Copeland is only the second African-American woman ever to dance as a soloist for the prestigious American Ballet Theatre, and next month she’ll become the first African-America ballerina to dance the lead role in ABT’s Swan Lake. On the side, the groundbreaking bad-ass has also found time to serve on President Obama’s Fitness Council and to star in a viral Under Armour ad that ignited debate over whether or not dancers, for all their obvious athleticism, are “real” athletes.

Stephanie Allain (Hustle & Flow) and Lenore Kletter are on board to write the script, which Deadline says will focus on the ballerina’s teen years and relationship with her mother. I am beyond stoked that Copeland’s story will now be shared with an even larger audience–not only will this female-led movie feature a physically and emotionally strong woman, her story is a reminder that we are not limited by the way lesser minds view our bodies or our background.

(via Jezebel, image via Kent G. Becker on Flickr)

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