As much as folks have been looking forward to Hulk Hogan's biopic, a new report states that Ben Affleck and Matt Damon's project is no longer happening.
This follows a separate scrapped Netflix film centered on the WWE legend. Here's an overview of what to expect from these anticipated projects so far.
Did Matt Damon and Ben Affleck Scrap Hulk Hogan Biopic Amid Icon's Death?
According to a report by TMZ, Damon and Affleck quietly shelved the development on Killing Gawker months ago, long before 71-year-old Hogan's sudden death on July 24.
Ben and Matt initially planned on making a biopic out of Hulk Hogan's infamous video of having sex with his best friend's wife, which Gawker, a news and entertainment site, later released, a video that also happened to include Hogan dropping a racial slur.
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The project was acquired by Affleck and Damon's Artists Equity banner in 2024 and aimed to dramatize Hogan's notorious legal battle against Gawker after publishing the sex tape in 2012.
Gawker lost to the lawsuit in 2016, leaving a settlement of $31 million in favor of Hogan, aka Terry Bollea, which bankrupted the outlet; thanks in part to being backed by tech billionaire Peter Thiel.
The film was supposedly based on Ryan Holiday's book, Conspiracy: Peter Thiel, Hulk Hogan, Gawker, and the Anatomy of Intrigue, with Charles Randolph (The Big Short) as screenwriter and Gus Van Sant reportedly attached to direct.
It remains to be seen why Damon and Affleck dropped out of working on the project, as of writing, but sources of TMZ confirmed that Killing Gawker had already stopped its development months prior.
How Much Was Hulk Hogan Involved In His Biopic Progress?
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Affleck was rumored to portray Hogan; however, fans would be shocked to find out that the wrestler was not involved in the making of the biopic in the first place.
In fact, the most action Hogan took was to reportedly warn the duo he'd take legal action if the film crossed any lines (and we all know how that could potentially end).
On the other hand, Netflix has been developing a Hogan docuseries even before his death from cardiac arrest. While Ben and Matt aimed to focus on the Gawker lawsuit, Netflix was planning on shedding light on how Hulkmania rose to fame as a wrestler and a pop culture icon.
The streamer has reportedly filmed over 30 hours of footage, with more than 20 hours of interviews with the legendary WWE champion himself.
The long-anticipated series made its first announcement in 2019, with Joker director Todd Phillips set to helm, Hogan (more involved with this one) serving as a consultant and executive producer, and Chris Hemsworth starring in the project.
However, the biopic with Netflix is not currently happening either, following the delays during the COVID-19 pandemic and Netflix's failure to meet contractual obligations.
In August last year, Phillips confirmed on Variety: "I love what we were trying to do, but that's not going to come together for me."
In the meantime, stay tuned for more updates on this story!
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