This is great news for wrestling fans around the world but itt is unknown who will play the role of the 7ft 4inch behemoth who weighed more than 500 pounds.
The biopic will be adapted on the Lion Forge Comics graphic novel André the Giant: Closer to Heaven written by Brandon Easton and illustrated by Denis Medri. It will be produced by Scott Steindorff and Dylan Russell.
“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,” said Lion Forge CEO David Steward.
The film will follow his early life as farm worker in the French Alps to the World Wrestling Federation (now WWE) where he rose to worldwide fame and recognition from the 1970 to 1990s.
His most wrestling feud was with Hulk Hogan at WrestleMania III where Hogan slammed him into the ring. Outside the wrestling ring, he is known for his role as Fezzik, the giant in 1987 film The Princess Bride. He was also the face of an anti-corporate marketing campaign, André the Giant Has a Posse by the American street artist Shepard Fairey.
“Andre the Giant rode the wave of the rise of wrestling in America, while suffering from the painful health condition of gigantism,” said producer Scott Steindorff.
His daughter, Robin Christensen-Roussimoff, has given the project her blessing and will take a consultant’s role.
“I’m really excited to watch this story come to life on the big screen,” she said. “It’s been a labour of love for everyone involved, and we’re really looking forward to making it available to a larger audience.”
Roussimoff died in 1993 from congestive heart failure at the age of 46.
