Is Michael Phelps’ life story becoming a movie?

Michael Phelps is a name that comes to mind when one thinks of the greatest athletes in modern history. The American swimmer has decorated himself with various accolades over the span of his long career.

His life outside the pool has been nothing but inspirational, and saw him open up about his struggles with his identity, anxiety, and depression. He has relentlessly worked as a mental health advocate since his retirement and is nothing short of an iconic figure.

Now, there are reports coming out of Hollywood's 'Black List' that Michael Phelps' incredible life may be brought to the public eye in the form of a biopic, named 'Resurfaced!'

News of the Michael Phelps biopic

Earlier this week, the annual collection of unproduced screenplays that are most loved by Hollywood studios and production company executives was released. This collection, first developed in 2005, is popularly known as the Black List.

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Michael Phelps

@MichaelPhelps

To commemorate the SI Legends Cover Collection, I’m excited to partner with @sinow to bring you the Sports Illustrated x Michael Phelps Collection on @OneOfNft. The collection goes live on December 6th oneof.com/phelps

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To commemorate the SI Legends Cover Collection, I’m excited to partner with @sinow to bring you the Sports Illustrated x Michael Phelps Collection on @OneOfNft. The collection goes live on December 6th oneof.com/phelps https://t.co/WxQrdhpEzS

Screenplays that appear on the Black List have seen a very high rate of being converted into full-fledged theatrical Hollywood pieces. According to the New York Times, around 44 percent of the screenplays in this list have been converted into movies!

Popular movies such as Slumdog Millionnaire, Argo, and The King's Speech are some of the most recognizable names that made their way to the big screen via the Black List! Many of the screenplays have won Oscars for Best Picture and 12 of the last 20 Oscars for screenwriting have also gone to movies from the Black List.

The designated name for the screenplay, written for a biopic based on the American swimming legend, is 'Resurfaced'. In conversation with SwimSwam, Pieter Ritz, an assistant swim coach at the University of Nevada, who also majored in film at Cleveland State University, had this to say:

"Michael Phelps‘ story resonates with a lot of people, but probably why his screenplay is getting the press it is, is because it’s more to do with his post retirement [life] than what he did in the pool."

Jay Glazer

@JayGlazer

I sat down with 23-Time Olympic Gold Medalist @MichaelPhelps who addressed his mental health challenges including nearly taking his life, what he learned from it, & so much more. Don’t miss the full episode dropping Wednesday morning. IT’S A MUST LISTEN with a man who is 1 of 1!

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I sat down with 23-Time Olympic Gold Medalist @MichaelPhelps who addressed his mental health challenges including nearly taking his life, what he learned from it, & so much more. Don’t miss the full episode dropping Wednesday morning. IT’S A MUST LISTEN with a man who is 1 of 1! https://t.co/8kEeJDpbtT

Michael Phelps has been very open about his life out of the pool. He has talked about his problems with anxiety and depression, and how he is working every day towards better mental health. Everyone in the sporting world knows about Phelps' struggles with his identity as a person, and his work to be more than just a swimmer. Earlier this year, Phelps announced the release of his own NFT with this tagline:

"Swimming is what I do, not who I am."

The question right now on the tip of everyone's tongue is whether we will see 'Resurfaced' made into a biopic. Ritz, continuing his analysis, said:

"It’s a high likelihood of yes, it’s all a matter of time of when you’ll see them out in theaters or on streaming."

Names such as Ben Affleck, Andrew Garfield, and Timothy Oliphant have been suggested as potential actors that can play Phelps!

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