Hulk Hogan’s legal battle with Gawker is being turned into a Hollywood blockbuster.
The former WWE superstar won a $140 million lawsuit against the publication – which saw the company go bankrupt – and now the story is set to be turned into a big screen courtroom drama.
The movie will be an adaptation of Ryan Holiday’s book ‘Conspiracy: Peter Thiel, Hulk Hogan, Gawker, and the Anatomy of Intrigue’, with ‘The Hunger Games’ and ‘Constantine’ filmmaker Francis Lawrence set to direct.
In a statement, Lawrence praised the "extraordinary" source material, and insisted it is "an important and meaningful story"/
He said: "When I read Ryan’s extraordinary book I was totally taken with this story, such an exquisitely contemporary tale, and I immediately had a vision for it as a film.
"It’s an important and meaningful story, and one I’m excited to tell. I’m thrilled to come aboard and to work with this team."
He’ll executive produce alongside Blackrock Productions’ David A. Neuman, while ‘The Big Short’ co-writer Charles Randolph will pen the script.
The court case saw the end of Hogan’s WWE career, as his contract was terminated in 2015 following the publication of a transcript taken from a sex tape recording revealed him using the "N-word" during a conversation about his daughter Brooke’s then-boyfriend.
The sex tape in question had been made in 2007 without his consent and a clip was run on gossip website Gawker in 2012 which showed him in bed with Heather Clem, the now ex-wife of his former friend Bubba ‘The Lovesponge’ Clem.
Hogan took legal action against Gawker Media and was awarded $115 million in March 2016 for defamation, loss of privacy, and emotional pain caused by the leak.
He ultimately received $31 million after reaching a settlement with the company in November 2016.
After being removed from WWE’s Hall of Fame, having his merch pulled from online stores and all mentions of him taken off the brand’s official website, his has slowly been re-introduced over the past few months and he recently insisted a return is on the cards.
Speaking on the red carpet ahead of his Legends of the Ring event with fellow in-ring hero Ric Flair on Saturday night (09.06.18), The Hulkster said of the negotiations: "I’m ready. Things are moving in that direction quite quickly. It’s all about execution, timing, and right place, and right time. But things are good."
Hulk Hogan and Gawker lawsuit getting movie treatment
