In a saga that once promised to bring the legendary life of Hulk Hogan to the big screen, the highly anticipated biopic starring Chris Hemsworth has been definitively shelved. The inside story, as revealed by Eric Bischoff on his 83 Weeks podcast and reported by WrestlingNews.co, offers a rare glimpse into the volatile world of Hollywood dealmaking, the unpredictable impact of a global pandemic, and the delicate politics of professional wrestling’s biggest personalities.
The project, first announced in 2019, was a heavyweight affair from the start. With Todd Phillips—fresh off the critical and commercial success of Joker—set to direct, and a script penned by Scott Silver, expectations for the Hulk Hogan biopic soared. Chris Hemsworth, best known for wielding Thor’s hammer in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, was attached to play Hogan, promising a transformation that had fans and industry insiders buzzing alike.
Eric Bischoff, a longtime wrestling executive and producer on the project, described just how promising things looked in those early days. “Scott Silver wrote the script. Took about a year and a half,” Bischoff shared on his podcast. “Scott Silver told me it was the best script he’s ever written at that point… Todd Phillips couldn’t wait to make the movie. Chris Hemsworth jumps on board.” According to Bischoff and as reported by WrestlingNews.co, the team was stacked with A-list talent and genuine enthusiasm. It seemed like a sure bet.
But as the wheels of Hollywood began to turn, the world changed overnight. The COVID-19 pandemic swept across the globe in 2020, shutting down film productions everywhere and throwing even the most secure projects into limbo. “COVID hits, shuts down the film industry worldwide… that put everything behind two years,” Bischoff recalled. The delay was more than just an inconvenience; it was a critical blow to the project’s momentum and, as it turned out, its legal underpinnings.
At the heart of the production was a time-sensitive deal between Netflix and Hulk Hogan. The streaming giant had secured a two-year option on Hogan’s life rights, a standard industry practice that gave them exclusive rights to develop the film within a set window. But with the pandemic causing indefinite delays, Netflix was forced to make a decision: pay to extend the option or risk losing the project altogether.
“Netflix was right up against it. They had 24 hours or less to get a check to Hulk in order to retain their option for another year or two,” Bischoff revealed on 83 Weeks. The clock ran out. “They missed the date by 12 hours. Technically, they were in breach… which means that was the end of the movie.” That 12-hour lapse proved fatal, nullifying Netflix’s exclusive hold on the story and, as Bischoff put it, “that was the end of the movie.”
Yet, the legal fumble wasn’t the only reason the biopic was scrapped. Even after Netflix’s misstep, there remained a glimmer of hope that the project could be revived with another studio or a new deal. But the final nail in the coffin came from Hulk Hogan himself—whose real name is Terry Bollea—who reconsidered his involvement for reasons both personal and professional.
“Hulk changed his mind,” Bischoff said, pulling back the curtain on the wrestling icon’s thinking. “Hulk really wanted to maintain a long-term relationship with WWE. As much as Hulk loved that script, it was edgy. There were things in that script that certain people would not be happy to see… There would have been some people that may have taken exception to it, and Hulk just didn’t want to take the risk. He didn’t see the upside in doing the movie to be worth the risk of putting himself into an off-balance relationship with WWE.”
For those less familiar with the inner workings of professional wrestling, the WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment) is more than just an employer for stars like Hogan; it’s a gatekeeper of legacy, merchandise, and ongoing business opportunities. Hogan’s relationship with WWE has had its ups and downs over the decades, but as he weighed the prospect of a warts-and-all biopic, he evidently decided that risking his standing with the company wasn’t worth the potential rewards of cinematic immortality.
The script, described by Bischoff as “edgy,” reportedly did not shy away from the more controversial chapters of Hogan’s life and career. While the details of the screenplay remain under wraps, Bischoff’s comments suggest that it included elements that might have ruffled feathers within WWE or among those close to Hogan. For a man whose brand and business interests are so closely tied to the WWE machine, the calculation was simple: better to maintain a steady relationship than gamble on a Hollywood retelling that could jeopardize it.
Scott Silver, whose writing credits include Joker and 8 Mile, spent about a year and a half on the script, and reportedly called it his best work to date. Todd Phillips, for his part, was eager to bring the story to life, and Hemsworth had begun preparing for what could have been one of the most transformative roles of his career. But as Bischoff made clear, even the best script and the brightest stars can’t overcome the combined forces of a global pandemic, corporate missteps, and the personal choices of the story’s subject.
The cancellation of the Hulk Hogan biopic is a stark reminder of how fragile even the most promising Hollywood projects can be. It’s not just about talent or money; timing, relationships, and the unpredictable twists of fate play just as large a role. For wrestling fans, movie buffs, and industry watchers, it’s a missed opportunity to see one of the sport’s most colorful figures brought to life by a superstar actor and a top-tier creative team.
Will the Hulk Hogan story ever make it to the big screen? For now, the answer is no. But in the world of wrestling and Hollywood, never say never. The tale of the canceled biopic is, in its own way, as dramatic as anything that might have played out on screen.
