A biopic has been announced to chronicle the life and career of transgender MMA fighter Fallon Fox.
The film will be produced by Mark Gordon Films, with the producing team of Bonnie Chance Roberts and John Papsidera. Roberts seems to already be a fan of Fox as she gushed about her in the press release for the film.
“Fallon Fox is a remarkable woman and athlete who has withstood and achieved so much in her life and who’s story is far too little known."
“She is a universal living icon of strength and persistence. It is a true honor to work with her, and the indomitable writing team of T and Allison Cooper, to bring her experiences more to light and share her with the world," said Bonnie Chance-Roberts in a press release.
T Cooper and Allison Glock-Cooper are the husband-and-wife team set to write the biopic and are going to work closely with Fallon. They are currently co-executive producers and writers on NBC’s The Blacklist, and their most recent film collaboration is the award-winning film Man Made, a feature documentary about the world of transgender bodybuilding, which is currently streaming on Amazon Prime.
“As transgender/LGBTQIA writer and creators, we know in our bones the inherent value in and necessity of telling stories from the inside out, rather than from the outside looking in,” the team said in the press release.
“We’re thrilled to be teaming with Mark Gordon Pictures to help bring Fallon’s undeniably powerful and relevant story to the screen.”
The relevancy of this story in today’s climate is not lost on either the writing team or Fox herself. The film was announced in the midst of a wave of anti-trans laws in 34 states, banning transgender girls from playing on girls’ interscholastic sports teams.
Fox originally hid her identity when she began competing professionally as an MMA fighter, fearful that the very transphobia that is leading these bills to be signed into laws, would lead to her being rejected from the league. When she reached semifinals in 2013, she received a call from a journalist who threatened to out her to the world.
This led to Fallon Fox coming out herself to Outsports and Sports Illustrated in an article in 2013. What then followed was an outpouring of transphobic abuse from critics, and the MMA league itself, as she is not listed in the Unified Women’s MMA ranking’s, which are widely regarded in the sport.
The discussion of whether or not female trans athletes have an upper-hand in the league that is going on today in the Senate mimic the same tired and disproven topic of what was then an explosive discussion when Fox came out.
On working with the team on her biopic, Fallon says “I’ve had a great tie so far working with the producers and writers bringing this story to life, and I hope this film sheds some light on the topic of trans athletes in sports. This story needs to be told now more than ever.”
No cast or premiere has been announced as of yet.