WNBA star Brittney Griner has given Disney exclusive rights to tell her Russia imprisonment story in a documentary for ESPN.
Griner returned to the United States in 2022 following a prisoner swap for Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout. She had been imprisoned in Russia for having cannabis vape cartridges at an airport near Moscow. Disney will reportedly produce a documentary feature for ESPN Films and develop “a scripted series through ABC Signature” along with an “exclusive interview with ABC News anchor Robin Roberts,” according to Variety.
Burke Magnus, president of content at ESPN, hailed Griner as an exceptional athlete and a model of resilience.
“Brittney is an exceptional athlete whose hardship and resilience are nothing short of extraordinary,” said Magnus in a statement. “We are thrilled to be working with her to tell the nuances of her story and feel confident that this documentary will captivate audiences everywhere.”
US WNBA basketball superstar Brittney Griner arrives at a hearing at the Khimki Court, outside Moscow on July 7, 2022. (KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV/AFP via Getty Images)
Griner expressed gratitude for Disney allowing her to share her story with the world.
“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,” she said. “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.”
Disney said that the documentary will examine “the circumstances that led to her playing outside the U.S. despite being one of the best players in the sport to her harrowing detainment and the unwavering determination to secure her freedom, as well as her subsequent advocacy for the release of other wrongful detainees.” It will also use “exclusive footage, recordings and letters to and from Griner during her time in prison.”
L-R) Cherelle Griner, Brittney Griner, and Al Sharpton are seen during The National Action Network’s Women’s Empowerment Luncheon on April 13, 2023, in New York City. (Johnny Nunez/WireImage)
While Americans welcomed Britney Griner back, some critics believed that the Biden administration made a poor decision by swapping out Viktor Bout, who was considered one of the world’s most dangerous criminals. Breitbart News reported on Bout’s history:
Nicknamed the “’of Death,’ Bout is a flamboyant arms dealer in his mid-50s with Russian military training. He became a billionaire by raiding the armories of the collapsing Soviet Union in the early 90s and using old Soviet cargo planes to transport his black-market weapons to conflict zones around the world.
Bout’s criminal genius has been hailed by every international law enforcement agency that went after him. He was smart enough to mix his weapons shipments with more legitimate cargoes, posturing as a humanitarian who just wanted to sell cheap food to starving Africans. Meanwhile, he was selling guns to every bad actor from al-Qaeda and Hezbollah, to both the Taliban and its enemies in Afghanistan.
Bout was bagged in Thailand in 2008 while trying to sell weapons to Colombian terrorists who were actually CIA agents in disguise. He was not just selling his murderous Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) customers a few pistols — the deal included “800 surface-to-air missiles (SAMs), 30,000 AK-47 firearms, 10 million rounds of ammunition, five tons of C-4 plastic explosives, ‘ultralight’ airplanes outfitted with grenade launchers and unmanned aerial vehicles.’
The Biden administration also left behind former Marine Paul Whelan, who was sentenced to 16 years in Russia under “espionage” charges. Upon her return, Griner expressed heartbreak that Whelan had been left behind.
Paul Roland Bois directed the award-winning feature film, EXEMPLUM, which can be viewed for FREE on YouTube or Tubi. A high-quality, ad-free stream can also be purchased on Google Play or Vimeo on Demand. Follow him on Twitter @prolandfilms or Instagram @prolandfilms.