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Gabby Douglas Movie: Lifetime Biopic In The Works About History-Making Gymnast

THIS Is The Actress Who Will Play Gabby Douglas In The Story About Her Life
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ALTERNATE CROP OF OGYM222- U.S. gymnast Gabrielle Douglas acknowledges the crowd after receiving her gold medal during the artistic gymnastics women's individual all-around competition at the 2012 Summer Olympics, Thursday, Aug. 2, 2012, in London. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

After making history , and penning two books about her life, there's now a biopic in the works about the amazing (albeit short) life of Olympic gold medalist Gabrielle Douglas.

"The Gabby Douglas Story," which is set to air on Lifetime in 2014, is currently filming in Canada.

After a few open calls in select cities, the lucky actress to play Gabby was officially announced Monday, alongside a second actress who'll split the role chronicling Gabby's journey from age six through her teen years.

Imani Hakim, who you may recognize as Tonya from "Everybody Hates Chris," will play teenage Gabby, while Sydney Mikayla will play the young "Flying Squirrel." Regina King is on board to play the role of her mother, Natalie Hawkins, and S. Epatha Merkerson will play Gabby's grandmother.

Check out this quick synopsis of the movie:

A prodigy from a very young age, Gabby Douglas originally made her mark on the world of competitive gymnastics at age eight. She won numerous state championship titles in her age group throughout her early competitive career. While her star was fast rising In The Arena, Gabby and her family faced economic challenges at home and she made the difficult decision to leave her mother Natalie (King), three siblings and grandmother (Merkerson) in Virginia Beach and move to Des Moines, Iowa, to train with renowned coach Liang Chow (Brian Tee, The Wolvernine) to pursue her dream of Olympic glory. Buoyed by her early success, dedication and unyielding love from her family, Gabby made it onto the 2012 U.S. Women’s Gymnastics team, with whom she faced intense competition in the London Games. Her sacrifice and perseverance were triumphantly rewarded with Team Competition and Individual All-round gold medals, placing Gabby and her teammates – known as “The Fierce Five” -- among the world’s all-time greats in gymnastics.

Hakim received a swarm of congratulatory messages on Twitter following the announcement. A quick look through her Instagram photos shows how much she's grown since her days as Tonya on "Everybody Hates Chris." She also has a striking resemblance to Gabby!

The movie's casting director, Tracy "Twinkie" Byrd, who is responsible for casting movies like Notorious, Sparkle, and Fruitvale Station, sent the young actress a special note of encouragement via Twitter.

This announcement is the latest in the list of biopics set to come to life through film and TV in the coming year, including TLC biopic, "CrazySexyCool," which premieres on VH1 next month.

Check out a trailer, plus other legends set to get the movie treatment in the slideshow below.

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Before You Go

Gabby Douglas
2012 U.S. Women's Gymnastics Olympic Gold Medal Team Rings The NYSE Closing Bell(01 of13)
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NEW YORK, NY - AUGUST 14: Gabby Douglas of the 2012 U.S. Women's Gymnastics Olympic Gold Medal Team rings the closing bell at the New York Stock Exchange on August 14, 2012 in New York City. (Photo by Jason Kempin/Getty Images) (credit:Getty)
2012 U.S. Women's Gymnastics Olympic Gold Medal Team Rings The NYSE Closing Bell(02 of13)
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NEW YORK, NY - AUGUST 14: Gabby Douglas of the 2012 U.S. Women's Gymnastics Olympic Gold Medal Team rings the closing bell at the New York Stock Exchange on August 14, 2012 in New York City. (Photo by Jason Kempin/Getty Images) (credit:Getty)
2012 U.S. Women's Gymnastics Olympic Gold Medal Team Rings The NYSE Closing Bell(03 of13)
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NEW YORK, NY - AUGUST 14: Kyla Ross, Gabby Douglas, McKayla Maroney, Aly Raisman and Jordyn Wieber of the 2012 U.S. Women's Gymnastics Olympic Gold Medal Team ring the closing bell at the New York Stock Exchange on August 14, 2012 in New York City. (Photo by Jason Kempin/Getty Images) (credit:Getty)
US Olympic Athlete Medalists Visit USA House(04 of13)
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LONDON, ENGLAND - AUGUST 07: U.S. Olympian Gabrielle Douglas visits the USA House at the Royal College of Art on August 7, 2012 in London, England. (Photo by Joe Scarnici/Getty Images for USOC) (credit:Getty)
US Olympic Athlete Medalists Visit USA House(05 of13)
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LONDON, ENGLAND - AUGUST 07: U.S. Olympian Gabrielle Douglas visits the USA House at the Royal College of Art on August 7, 2012 in London, England. (Photo by Joe Scarnici/Getty Images for USOC) (credit:Getty)
US gymnast Gabrielle Douglas performs du(06 of13)
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US gymnast Gabrielle Douglas performs during the women' s beam final of the artistic gymnastics event of the London Olympic Games on August 7, 2012 at the 02 North Greenwich Arena in London. AFP PHOTO / THOMAS COEX (Photo credit should read THOMAS COEX/AFP/GettyImages) (credit:Getty)
Olympics Day 11 - Gymnastics - Artistic(07 of13)
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LONDON, ENGLAND - AUGUST 07: Gabrielle Douglas of the United States competes on the beam during the Artistic Gymnastics Women's Beam final on Day 11 of the London 2012 Olympic Games at North Greenwich Arena on August 7, 2012 in London, England. (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images) (credit:Getty)
(08 of13)
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Gabby Douglas, right, 2012 London Summer Olympics gold medal-winning gymnast, laughs with, from left, her aunt, Bianca Williams, her sister, Joy Douglas, and her mother, Natalie Hawkins, center, after arriving at Norfolk International Airport, Thursday, Aug. 16, 2012, in Norfolk, Va., on her way to visit her hometown of Virginia Beach, Va. (AP Photo/Virginian-Pilot, Ross Taylor) MAGS OUT (credit:AP)
(09 of13)
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Eric Lindbergh of T.A.L.E.N.T. Murals works on the image of gymnast Gabby Douglas on the side of the Gator's Sports Bar & Grill on Holland Road in Virginia Beach, Va. on Thursday, Aug. 9, 2012. The mural shows Douglas holding a gold medal with an American flag backdrop. It says "Way to go Gabby." (AP Photo/Virginian-Pilot, Steve Earley) MAGS OUT (credit:AP)
(10 of13)
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Gabby Douglas performs in the floor exercise during the final round of the women's Olympic gymnastics trials, Sunday, July 1, 2012, in San Jose, Calif. Douglas was named to the U.S. Olympic gymnastics team. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong) (credit:AP)
(11 of13)
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Gabby Douglas performs on the balance beam during the preliminary round of the women's Olympic gymnastics trials, Friday, June 29, 2012, in San Jose, Calif. (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson) (credit:AP)
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Gabby Douglas reacts after finishing her floor exercise routine during the preliminary round of the women's Olympic gymnastics trials, Friday, June 29, 2012, in San Jose, Calif. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull) (credit:AP)
Gabby Douglas(13 of13)
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FILE - This June 10, 2012 file photo shows Gabby Douglas competing on the uneven bars during the women's senior division at the U.S. gymnastics championships in St. Louis. Douglas has emerged as world champion Jordyn Wieber (credit:AP)
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