Movie in works about DeAndre Hopkins' mother and the horrific chemical attack that blinded her
DeAndre Hopkins’ rise from poverty and violence to NFL stardom is among the most inspiring stories in the league, but at its core is the woman who helped power him there despite incredible obstacles.
Now, that woman’s own story is set to hit the big screen.
A feature film based on Sabrina Greenlee, Hopkins’ mother, is in the works through a partnership between Bron Studios, Good Fear and Kitufu Films, according to The Wrap. Sam Bailey is set to direct, while Kristen Buckley will write the screenplay.
Get your popcorn ready! https://t.co/K1lI7CmBri
— Deandre Hopkins (@DeAndreHopkins) April 29, 2019
Titled “Sabrina,” the film will reportedly cover the story of a single mother who survived multiple abusive relationships and recovered from a chemical attack to raise her four children. The details of that chemical attack are truly horrifying.
‘All my skin came off of my body’
The attack, which occurred when Hopkins was only 10, happened during an ambush by the girlfriend of a man Greenlee had dated for three months, according to TMZ. Greenlee did not know the man was in a relationship, but that still led to this, details via USA Today:
"Sabrina!" The shout startled Sabrina Greenlee, who had just found her boyfriend at the home of another woman on a July day in 2002. Greenlee turned and ... whoosh! The boiling chemicals, a mixture of lye and bleach that had reached 400 degrees Fahrenheit, seared her body.
She fell to the ground, the skin rapidly peeling off her face, neck and back. The cheating boyfriend picked her up, put her in a car and dropped her off at a nearby gas station.
"He left me there to die," Greenlee said. "All my skin came off of my body. I was laying out there, dying. There was blood all over this woman's store."
The station's attendant locked the doors and called an ambulance, which took Greenlee to the local hospital. From there, she was flown to a medical center in Augusta, Ga., where she spent three weeks in a medically induced coma while doctors patched her face with skin grafts.
Obviously, that will be a difficult and painful saga to portray.
Along with the skin grafts and permanent scarring, the attack left Greenlee completely blind in her right eye and partial vision in her left eye. The woman who attacked Greenlee reportedly pleaded guilty to assault and battery with intent to kill and was sentenced to 20 years in prison.
Greenlee eventually recovered, and cheered on Hopkins as he became a star at Clemson and later the Houston Texans, where she attends every home game. She now works as an advocate for domestic violence survivors, operating S.M.O.O.O.T.H., Inc. (Speaking Mentally, Outwardly Opening Opportunities Toward Healing).
Per Greenlee’s site, she “aims to educate and empower as many women and children as possible through mentorship, counseling and outreach initiatives.” Hopefully, a movie can help her help even more.
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