The much-anticipated Hulk Hogan biopic, which was set to star Chris Hemsworth as the wrestling icon, has been officially scrapped.
Todd Phillips, initially slated to direct the film, confirmed the disappointing news in a recent interview with Variety.
“I love what we were trying to do, but that’s not going to come together for me,” he said.
With Phillips at the helm, expectations were high for a film that could capture the life and career of one of wrestling’s first larger-than-life mainstream characters.
Phillips is the man behind Joker: Folie à Deux, which is set to debut at the Venice Film Festival which begins later this month.
RELATED: WATCH: Hulk Hogan Does His Thing At Detroit Lions Training Camp
Hulk Hogan Movie Ultimately Has To Submit
The status of the Hulk Hogan movie has been up in the air for some time. Phillips’ comments come after Netflix, which was backing the biopic, decided to drop the project in 2023.
Netflix’s decision remains speculative, but industry insiders suggest it might have been due to a combination of creative differences or budget constraints.
Hogan himself said there were hangups with the project in a 2023 interview discussing their decision. Which is sad, because he described the script as “amazing.”
“All of a sudden there was a business glitch, you know, and then they tried to fix it a few days later. And I’d already decided to move on,” he told Chris Van Vliet.
“So, my life rights and stuff are somewhere else now.”
Still, Hulk Hogan remained optimistic about the movie landing on its feet.
“Hopefully, Todd Phillips and Chris Hemsworth will still want to play. But there’s still a huge opportunity there,” he said.
RELATED: Hallelujah, Brother! Hulk Hogan Gets Baptized, Celebrates ‘Dedication To Jesus’
Anything Else Out There Involving The Hulkster?
While the biopic might be dead, Hulk Hogan’s story isn’t fading from Hollywood’s radar entirely.
Reports suggest that another project, “Killing Gawker,” focusing on Hogan’s legal battle with Gawker Media, is gaining traction.
Hogan sued Gawker for invasion of privacy after they published parts of a sex tape involving him without his consent, leading to a significant legal battle.
The lawsuit, financially backed by Peter Thiel, resulted in a $31 million settlement for Hogan and Gawker’s eventual bankruptcy.
Even though it is a story involving Hulk Hogan, it won’t quite be the same as a movie about his life and career in wrestling.
More about:Wrestling