Netflix Buys Doc on LGBT Activist Marsha P. Johnson

Netflix has obtained the rights to a new documentary about LGBT rights activist and Stonewall riots veteran, Marsha P. Johnson, Variety reports.

"The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson," from director David France, examines the 1992 murder of Johnson, a trans woman of color dubbed "the Rosa Parks of the LGBT rights movement." Her body was found floating in the Hudson River with the New York Police Department initially ruling her death a suicide.

"The film follows crime-victim advocate Victoria Cruz's efforts to reexamine what happened and measure the challenges that still face the community," Variety writes.

The film first debuted at the Tribeca Film Festival last year.

Johnson was a key figure in the 1969 Stonewall riots and later worked with Sylvia Rivera to create STAR (Street Transvestites Action Revolutionaries), what has been called the first transgender rights organization. She also became a member of ACT UP.

Though no date has been announced "The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson" will hit Netflix this year.

"Almost single-handedly, Marsha P. Johnson and her best friend Sylvia Rivera touched off a revolution in the way we talk about gender today," France said in a statement. "Their names should be household words.

"But Marsha's life was cut tragically short and Sylvia died shortly thereafter, the victim of a broken heart," he said. "Getting to know their story through the investigation undertaken by Victoria Cruz, a seminal activist in her own right, has been one of the great honors of my career. Now, with Netflix as our distribution partner, I am confident the legacy of these tremendous women will never be forgotten."

Lisa Nishimura, Netflix's vice president of original documentary programming, added:

"We are honored to bring much deserved recognition to the dynamic life of Marsha P. Johnson. Her effervescent spirit and pioneering leadership of the LGBT movement is illuminated with an eloquent force by director David France and is a true testament to the power of documentary films."

The Hollywood Reporter notes "The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson" will screen at the upcoming Outfest Los Angeles LGBT Film Festival.

France's previous documentary was the 2012 Oscar nominated "How to Survive a Plague" about AIDS groups ACT UP and TAG.

This isn't the first doc about Johnson. In 2012, "Pay it No Mind: The Life and Times of Marsha P. Johnson," directed by Michael Kasino and Richard Morrison was released, which used interview footage that Johnson gave just 10 days before her death.

Watch a trailer for the film via The Hollywood Reporter below.