Back in November we brought you a preview of Andre the Giant: Closer to Heaven, a graphic novel detailing the life of the legendary wrestler from Lion Forge Comics, and now it has been revealed that a movie adaptation is in the works.
The biopic is being developed by Lion Forge alongside producers Scott Steindorff and Dylan Russell, with Andre’s daughter Robin Christensen-Roussimoff consulting. It “will chronicle Andre’s journey from French farm boy to 7-foot-4 international wrestling star, while also exploring the physical and emotional challenges he faced.”
“André the Giant rode the wave of the rise of wrestling in America, while suffering from the painful health condition of gigantism,” said Steindorff. “There’s an Elephant Man story here.”
“As a lifelong wrestling fan, I can say with conviction that no one was bigger than Andre,” adds Lion Forge CEO David Steward II. “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.”
Given the sheer number of stories relating to Andre and his legendary exploits, this should certainly make for an interesting biopic. But who the hell are they going to get to play the Eighth Wonder of the World??
Source: Variety
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Originally published May 10, 2016. Updated March 2, 2020.
