Ben Affleck and Matt Damon’s Artists Equity is working on a movie that will tackle controversial former wrestler Terry Bollea a.k.a. Hulk Hogan and his legal battle against Gawker Media.
As reported by Variety, Artists Equity’s work on the film is underway following its acquisition of a screenplay written by Charles Randolph (The Big Short, Bombshell). The project is in active development under the name Killing Gawker and is set to be directed by Good Will Hunting alum Gus Van Sant.
Killing Gawker is based on the book Conspiracy: Peter Thiel, Hulk Hogan, Gawker, and the Anatomy of Intrigue by Ryan Holiday. Its major players are listed in the title, and according to rumors initially shared by Jeff Sneider in his The InSneider newsletter, Affleck will be the one to portray Hogan.
However, it's unclear if Affleck or his frequent collaborator, Damon, will appear in the movie as no casting information has been confirmed.
Gawker’s legal troubles began when it published a sex tape featuring Bollea, an act that he quickly moved to fight back against. The resulting suit, which investor Peter Thiel backed, led to the wrestler winning a total of $140 million from the media company in 2016. Gawker filed for bankruptcy shortly after. Though a relaunch was attempted in 2021, the site was shut down again in 2023.
Artists Equity has yet to reveal a production schedule for Killing Gawker, so a release date has not been announced. While we wait to see if Affleck really will play Hogan in the movie, you can see our list of some of the biggest movies coming in 2024.
Michael Cripe is a freelance contributor with IGN. He started writing in the industry in 2017 and is best known for his work at outlets such as The Pitch, The Escapist, OnlySP, and Gameranx.
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