Chris Hemsworth has already taken on the Thor mantle so he might as well step in & play one of the most popular wrestlers of all-time. It has been announced that Hemsworth will play Hulk Hogan in a biopic from director Todd Phillips.
Deals for the Hogan project are in the midst of closing with Netflix. John Pollono (Stronger) will co-write the script with Scott Silver & producing will be Michael Sugar, the Academy Award winner behind Spotlight, who will produce via his Netflix-based Sugar23, and Phillips and Bradley Cooper, who will produce via their banner Joint Effort. Also producing will be Hemsworth and Eric Bischoff.
Hulk Hogan, born Terry Gene Bollea, was one of the biggest names in wrestling of all time. He was a fixture on TV sets in 1980s America as part of the World Wrestling Federation who subsequently parlayed his championship-winning leg drops and star power into forays into movies and television, endorsements and video games. Hogans fortunes took a turn during the 21st century when personal conflicts overshadowed his career. Most notably, he was embroiled in a sex tape scandal, with the wife of a friend and radio personality, including a years-long lawsuit that precipitated the end of Gawker and led to Hogan receiving tens of millions of dollars in a settlement. He also came under fire for his use of the N-word but he publicly apologized and made great efforts to atone for his mistakes, with most accepting the apology with open arms. The film will not focus on those aspects of his life but rather his rise to fame in wrestling.
