Brittney Griner Makes a 'Sweeping' Deal With Disney

WNBA star will tell her story in ESPN documentary, scripted series for ABC Signature
By Jenn Gidman,  Newser Staff
Posted Dec 8, 2023 10:44 AM CST
Brittney Griner Makes a 'Sweeping' Deal With Disney
Phoenix Mercury center Brittney Griner is seen during an WNBA basketball game on Aug. 5 in Phoenix.   (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

Practically a year to the day after she was released from a Russian prison, Brittney Griner has some big news. Deadline reports that the 33-year-old center for the Phoenix Mercury has signed a "sweeping" deal with Disney that will include not only an ESPN documentary, but also a scripted series with ABC Signature. The WNBA star and Olympic gold medalist will also sit down for an exclusive interview with ABC News' Robin Roberts, though an airdate for that special is still TBD, per the Hollywood Reporter. Griner's wife, Cherelle Griner, will serve as one of the executive producers on the projects.

The documentary will delve into Griner's 10-month detention in Russia, which began in February 2022 after she was arrested at a Moscow airport for cannabis possession. "The last two years have been the most harrowing, transformative, and illuminating period of my life, and I am grateful to be in a place now to share my story with the world," Griner says, per an ESPN release. "I'm proud to partner with ESPN and Disney to share this very personal story because of its incredible potential to inspire hope around the world and their proven ability to do just that." Griner is also set to write a memoir about her experiences, per Rolling Stone. (More Brittney Griner stories.)

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