Legendary Wrestler Andre The Giant Is Finally Getting His Own Biopic
I loved watching Andre The Giant wrestle when I was growing up! His most famous feud was with Hulk Hogan, which came to a head at WrestleMania III. It was also so great to see him land a lead role in The Princess Bride as Fezzik, a character that he beautifully brought to life on the big screen. I’ve been wondering when or if this man would ever get his own biopic and now it looks like it’s actually coming.
Lion Forge Comics and producers Scott Steindorff and Dylan Russell have partnered to develop a feature film about the life of Andre “The Giant” Roussimoff. The film will be based on the authorized graphic novel biography that was published last year called, Andre the Giant: Closer to Heaven.
The news comes from Variety who reports that Andre’s daughter Robin Christensen-Roussimoff will be a consultant on the film to make sure his story is told properly. Steindorff talked about film saying:
“Andre the Giant rode the wave of the rise of wrestling in America, while suffering from the painful health condition of gigantism – there’s an Elephant Man story here.”
Andre began wrestling professionally when he was only 17, and in the beginning was billed as being 7-feet-4 and over 500 pounds hailing from “Grenoble in the French Alps.” He had a successful career and over the years gained thousands of fans like myself. Lion Forge CEO David Steward II had this to say in a statement:
“As a lifelong wrestling fan, I can say with conviction that no one was bigger than Andre. His presence and charisma were so powerful, and you could tell there was much more to him under the surface of his ring persona. It’s been an amazing experience telling that story in the book with Robin’s help. With all the spectacle, action, and emotion there on the page, a feature film just made perfect sense.”
I couldn’t agree with him more. The graphic novel that the film will be based on was written by Brandon Easton and illustrated by Denis Medri. The story “recounts the wrestler’s life from his earliest days working on the family farm in France along with the rise of professional wrestling itself through the World Wrestling Federation, due in large part to Andre the Giant’s celebrity.” Robin Christensen-Roussimoff added:
“I’m really excited to watch this story come to life on the big screen. It’s been a labor of love for everyone involved, and we’re really looking forward to making it available to a larger audience.”
As a long time fan of Andre the Giant, I am overwhelmingly happy to hear that he is finally getting a biopic! Now the big question is… who are they going to get to play him!? This guy was a one of kind individual, and I hope that this group of people is able to bring together a talented team of talent to give us the best film possible.
The production company making the film, Stone Village, has produced feature film projects such as Jon Favreau’s Chef, Natalie Portman’s Jane Got a Gun and Matthew McConaughey’s The Lincoln Lawyer. So it seems like it’s in decent hands.